Baked Oysters with Chablis Cream

By corlear

Since the province of Burgundy is landlocked, it obviously can’t be known for its oysters. Yet oysters are so beloved by the French in general and make so perfect a match with white Burgundy wine—Chablis in particular—that they appear frequently on menus of starred restaurants throughout the region. There’s even an oyster bar that has recently opened in Beaune down the street from the venerable Hotel le Cep, where my cycling groups have resided since day one.

Here’s a warm recipe for those times when enough discipline can be mustered to resist slurping down copious amounts of iced oysters on the half-shell. The same Chablis that subtly flavors the cream sauce should be poured freely as an accompaniment to this refined first course.

Ingredients

• 24 just-opened oysters on the half-shell
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 cup Chablis or Petit Chablis wine from Burgundy
• 1 cup heavy (or whipping) cream
• very tiny pinch of curry powder
• sea salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• several sprigs fresh watercress for garnish

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

1. Drain off and reserve any juices from teh opened oysters. Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the Chablis and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the wine is reduced by half, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the reserved juices from the oysters and cook for a few minutes more.

2. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a clean saucepan. Discard the solids. Add the cream, bring to a boil, and then cook again until the liquid is reduced by half, 10 to 12 minutes. While the mixture is reducing, season with the curry powder and salt. Keep the sauce wann over very low heat.

3. When ready to cook the oysters, preheat the oven to 45O°F.

4. Arrange the oysters snugly, side by side, in a roasting pan. Season each with a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper. Nap each oyster with a generous tablespoon of the warm Chablis cream and bake the oysters until they are just cooked through and the cream has begun to brown slightly, 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Using tongs, arrange 4 to 6 oysters per person on individual serving plates. Place sprigs of watercress between the shells and serve immediately.