Oysters
with Champagne Sauce
Serves
4
Paul Milne
208 Talbot
St. Michaels, Maryland
The Champagne butter sauce is a perfect foil
for the briny flavor of the oysters, and the
sprinkling of salty prosciutto and crunchy
pistachios adds textural contrasts to the
silky texture of the mollusk.
20 oysters shucked
Champagne Sauce (recipe follows)
1/4 cup thinly sliced imported prosciutto,
cut into 1/16-inch julienne
1/4 cup chopped pistachio nuts
4 fresh parsley sprigs
Preheat the
oven to 450¡. Place the oysters on a baking
sheet and bake them for 2 to 4 minutes,
or until the edges of the oysters begin
to curl.
Spoon the
Champagne sauce over the oysters and top
the oysters with the prosciutto and pistachios.
Return the oysters to the oven for 45 seconds
to warm the sauce.
To serve:
Place a bed of rock salt on each of the
dishes and arrange 5 oysters on each. Garnish
each place with a spring of fresh parsley.
Champagne
Sauce
(Makes 1 1/4 cups)
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/2 cup dry Champagne
2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into
small pieces
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to
taste
Place the
shallot, Champagne, and vinegar in a small
saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil
and cook to reduce by one third. Add the
cream to the pan, and cook to reduce again
by one third.
Remove the
pan from heat but keep the burner on low.
Whisk in the butter one piece at a time.
Return the pot to the burner for a few seconds
if the sauce cools too much to melt the
butter. Season the sauce with salt and pepper,
adding a minimum of salt since the prosciutto
is salty. Strain the sauce through a fine-meshed
sieve and keep it warm over hot water.
Note:
The sauce may be made up to 2 hours in
advance and poured into a warm thermos.
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