Fried Oysters
(Serves two)

Ingredients
6 to 8 medium oysters
Vegetable, peanut or canola oil
1/2 cup cracker meal
1 1/2 cups flour
Kosher salt
Pearl Oyster Bar Tartar Sauce (recipe follows)
Greens and chives for garnish

Preparation
Shuck the oysters and clean and save the shells. Place the oysters in a bowl in their liquor and refrigerate them until ready to fry. In a deep saucepan or pot, heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the cracker meal and flour in a large pie plate to make the dredge. Drain the oysters in a strainer and drop them into the dredge one by one, keeping them separated. Coat each oyster well, then shake off the excess dredge. Drop each oyster gently into the hot oil and fry until they are golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. It's important not to overfry them. Drain them on paper towels and sprinkle with kosher salt.

To serve, arrange the shells in a circle with the narrow ends of the shells in the center. Put a spoonful of tartar sauce in the center of each shell. Top it with a fried oyster. Garnish the plate with a bouquet of greens in the middle. (Charles likes to use a mixture of baby lettuces). Sprinkle it all with chives.


Pearl Oyster Bar Tartar Sauce

Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup roughly chopped capers
1/4 cup chopped cornichons, plus 2 tablespoons of the juice
3 cups Hellmann's mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation
In a large bowl, mix the ingredients thoroughly. Refrigerate.



Oyster Pan Roast with Horseradish Toast

Ingredients
30 fresh oysters
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups finely diced celery root
1 1/2 cups finely diced parsnips
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry sherry
3 cups whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Horseradish Toast

Preparation
Shuck oysters, reserving oyster liquor. Serve with Horseradish Toast.
Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add celery root, parsnips, and 1/8 teaspoon salt; sauté 9 minutes or until soft. Add sherry, and increase heat to medium-high. Cook 8 minutes or until sherry is syrupy. Add cream, reduce heat to medium, and cook 23 minutes or until thickened. Add oysters and liquor, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper; cook 2 minutes or until edges of oysters begin to curl

Horseradish Toast

Ingredients
1/4 cup finely grated fresh horseradish
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (12-ounce) French bread baguette

Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Chill.
Cut baguette into 1/4-inch slices. Place slices on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 2 minutes; remove from oven. Turn slices, and spread evenly with horseradish mixture. Bake 1 minute or until butter is melted. Serve immediately.

Grilled oysters with Lemon-Chive Beurre Blanc

Ingredients
6 medium to large sized oysters per person, I like Malpeques
Lemon-Chive Beurre Blanc
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup red-wine vinegar
3 shallots, finely chopped
3 sticks butter
1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon chopped chives.

Preparation
In a stainless-steel saucepan over medium heat, combine wine, vinegar and shallots. Bring to a simmer, and reduce until there are 2 tablespoons of liquid. Reduce heat and add butter, one tablespoon at a time, whisking until each piece melts. Whisk in zest and chives. Turn off heat, transfer to ramekins and keep in a warm place.
Yield: 3/4 cup, enough for drizzling on 32 oysters and meat of four lobsters. From

From Lobster Rolls & Blueberry Pie: Three Generations of Recipes and Stories from Summers on the Coast of Maine.