I was supposed to have cooked up about six dozen oysters for dinner at Mary Ann's sister Sylvia's house on Christmas Day. Regular readers will remember that I had all the fixings for five different appetizers in the car as we headed across the lake to the party. Somewhere in that vast watery expanse it hit me that I'd left to oysters at home. Too far away to go back and get them.
We cooked those oysters today, for Mary Ann's little brother Tim and his family. Whether it qualifies as a make-good when you deliver on a promise to the sibling of the person supposed to get it is a matter of (very dull) debate. I feel no monkey on my back now, for what that's worth.
When they arrived, I had the oyster-artichoke soup ready for serving. I think most party-givers miss out by not serving soup, probably because they think it will be unwieldy for the guests. But it's easy. Broad coffee mugs and a spoon for each are all you need to pass around. People can actually walk around while enjoying the soup.
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Italian baked oysters in mid-preparation. Next, they'll be covered with seasoned bread crumbs, then baked.[/caption]
Next came the Italian oysters, made according to the recipe in my cookbook, which in turn is based on oysters Deanna, a great specialty at the now-extinct La Cuisine in Lakeview. It's along similar lines to oysters Mosca, the local archetype of the dish. But it includes more olive oil, and comes out of the oven bubbling. Herbs, garlic, and parmesan cheese mix into the bread crumb topping. It was well liked by the three of us who eat such things.
How did I ever get into a family where even the most delicious dishes (and Italian oysters are certainly among those) are rejected by so many people? And always for the same reason: they don't like the way it looks, or the texture, or some other index equally unimportant.
Fortunately, I can always count to appreciate flavor on the other in-laws. Or, as Mary Ann's family calls them, "the outsiders."
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Oysters en brochette, with bacon and artichokes.[/caption]
The next dish was oysters en brochette. It's the first dish I ever cooked for an audience of eaters. A good choice for that, guys and girls: it's so easy to make and so wonderful that you're bound to impress people. I cooked these under the broiler instead of deep-frying them. Frying, however, is the easiest way, even though it makes more of a mess.
Besides, Mary Ann said she wanted fried oysters. But the cornmeal she handed me was in fact corn flour. And she wondered where the crispness you get from cornmeal-coated oysters was. I told her to talk to the pantry girl.
Written by Tom Fitzmorris January 06, 2014 01:34 in
