Oysters Belle Reve
This appetizer is a “beautiful dream,” indeed — a sampler of three sauces cooked over tender oysters. Garlic butter, Vienne sauce (with mushrooms and green onions), and artichoke sauce provide wonderful variety to the tender, salty oysters buried like treasure in the ramekins.
Ingredients
- Garlic Butter
- Soft unsalted butter - 2 cups
- Soft Margarine - 2 cups
- Salt - 2 teaspoons
- Freshly ground white pepper - 2 teaspoons
- Olive Oil - 1/3 cup
- Dry white wine - 1/4 cup
- Parsley - 1/4 cup, chopped
- Onion - 1/2 cup, chopped
- Garlic Cloves - 10, minced
- Vienne Sauce
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 4 cups
- Green Onions - 1 bunch, trimmed and chopped
- Mushrooms - 4 large, sliced
- Unsalted Butter - 1/2 cup
- Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
- Freshly ground white pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
- Cayenne Peppers - 1/4 teaspoon
- Dry white wine - 1/4 cup
- Egg Yolk - 1
- Artichoke Sauce
- Artichoke Hearts - 20, sliced
- Garlic Cloves - 4, minced
- Water - 2 cups
- Olive Oil - 1/2 cup
- Bay Leaves - 4
- Thyme - 1/2 tablespoon
- Salt - 1/2 tablespoon
- Freshly ground white pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
- Freshly ground black pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
- Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
- Bread Crumbs - 1 cup
- Romano Cheese - 1 cup
- Oysters - 6 dozen, shucked (6 per person)
- [36 ovenproof ramekins]
- French Bread - 36, toast rounds
- Parsley Sprigs - 12
Instructions
To prepare the garlic butter: Whip the butter and margarine in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth. Add the salt, pepper, olive oil, and wine and blend. Add the remaining ingredients and mix in high speed, scraping down the sides occasionally. Cook until the butter turns white, about 10 minutes. Remove and let cool; refrigerate.
To prepare the Vienne sauce: Put the cream in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until reduced by one-third. Set aside. Saute the green onions and mushrooms in the butter for 1 to 2 minutes in a large saute pan, until softened but not browned. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the wine and reduced cream to the pan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool for about 2 minutes. Whisk in the egg yolk, then return the pan to medium heat and bring back to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
To prepare the artichoke sauce: Place the water, olive oil, and seasonings in a large saucepan. Add the artichokes and garlic and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in the bread crumbs and cheese, then heat thoroughly. Set aside.
To assemble: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Make sure both sauces are hot. For each person, place two oysters in each of three ramekins. Fill one ramekin to the top with garlic butter, one with Vienne sauce, and one with artichoke sauce. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet (to make them easier to handle) and bake 10 minutes.
To serve: Place one ramekin of each type on lined serving plates, clustering them in the center. Place a toast round between each two ramekins. Garnish the centers with parsley sprigs.
