We don’t
always get away for a big vacation. There
are just too many bills and not enough money around the house. Most of the time, it’s a run to the
Catskills for a weekend of hiking and camping at Wilson State Park, a great
place. We try to hit the farmer’s market
on Saturday morning in Kingston, then work up an appetite for the stuff we
buy.
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| Produce for sale in Kingston, NY. |
Dinners are cooked over a
campfire. We’ve never been disappointed. Those feasts taste as good as any restaurant
meal and have made some spectacular memories.
Last October
was something different. For about
forever, we have been talking about going to France and spending some time
seeing the great Gothic cathedrals of Normandy and Île-de-France. These structures, many more than 800 years
old are the most magnificent buildings ever constructed. And any place where people have been going to
for prayer for that long will have a special vibe. We ditched the kids and flew directly to de
Gaulle. After a visit to Notre Dame,
always the first stop, and a quick nap to catch up on the sleep we lost on the
plane, we wandered down to Boulevard Saint-Germain, just to hang in the coolest
city.
Paris is great. I’ve seen a rainbow every time we're there. The city was already ancient when the Vikings
sailed up the Seine to conquer. Art, literature, style, cafés, artisanal bakeries and gardens, they have it all. The Parisians hosted Josephine Baker, Sidney Bechet and “Le Jazz”
when we were too bigoted for good music.
Restaurants,
hands down the best in the world. History,
yep that too, since Paris was where the kings lived since the time of Clovis. It was the center of the Enlightenment and lived through the German occupation of
WWII. There’s even catacombs under the
city resting the bones of over 6 million.
And, if that’s not enough, they give out free oysters in Paris! I’m not lying. Here’s the proof.
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| That's me, the huge guy on the right, waiting in awe for an oyster. Do they really hand out oysters to passersbys in Paris? What a great town! |
It seems that the oyster farmers of Oléron on the Atlantic coast had begun a push to popularize their oysters in Paris. To do this, they did something simple, setting up a kiosk, handing out oysters then letting the product speak for itself. They had four types, ranging from sweet and creamy to briny, with a copper/pepper finish. The Claires were my favorite. After some linguistic gymnastics, I was able to understand that they are finished in ponds swarming with blue algae. Whatever…I want more. Go to Paris. They’ll give you oysters and want nothing in return except your praise.
We have good oysters in
Eastern Pennsylvania. Good stuff comes
out of the Chesapeake Bay and the oyster fishery is coming back in the Delaware estuary. Long Island oysters are inexpensive and tasty. More costly, but worth the price, are the
ones that come down I 95 from Duxbury,
MA. Eat oysters, either in Paris or
at home.
The following recipes are
designed to highlight the best flavors an oyster has. The mignonette sauce is spooned over cold,
freshly shucked oysters. Its acidity
cuts the creamy sweetness of a fat oyster.
The oyster stew is quickly made and quickly eaten. Milk, not cream which would be too rich, balances
the natural sweetness. Also, since we
discussed mirepoix
last time, we’ll get to see how a little dose of aromatic vegetables marry
strong, complex flavors.
_____
Mignonette Sauce (for 24 oysters)
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. shallot, finely
chopped
1/2 tsp. black pepper, coarsely
ground
Combine all ingredients in a
mixing bowl. Allow to marinate for at
least one hour.
After marination, strain the
sauce through a fine strainer. Use the
back of a soup spoon to press down on the pepper and shallots in order to
extract all the liquid.
Shuck 24 oysters. Spoon a little of the sauce onto each one and
serve immediately.
_____
Oyster Stew (serves 4)
16 oysters, freshly shucked,
liquor reserved, strained to remove shell pieces
1 qt. whole milk
1 tbs. carrot, finely diced
1 tbs. onion, finely diced
1 tbs. celery, finely diced
1 tbs. celery leaves, finely chopped
1 tbs. white potato, finely
diced
pinch of grated nutmeg
pinch of black pepper
In a medium saucepan, combine
the oyster liquor, carrot, onion, celery and potato. Cover, put on a medium heat and sweat the
vegetables for 5 minutes, until they are tender.
Add the milk, bring the stew
to a low simmer. Season with nutmeg and
pepper. Transfer the oysters to the
stew, cover it and turn off the heat, allowing the oysters to steep in the
liquid for only 1 minute. They will have
begun to cook, but will not have toughened.
Divide the oysters and
vegetables equally in warmed soup plates.
Ladle the milk over the oysters and aromatics, sprinkle the chopped
celery leaves on top. Serve immediately.
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