Oysters in Champagne Sauce ►
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 oysters.
Ingredients
- Oysters - 20, shucked
- Champagne Sauce (recipe follows)
- Prosciutto - 1/4 cup, thinly sliced, cut into 1/6-inch julienne
- Pistachio Nuts - 1/4 cup, chopped
- Rock Salt for serving
- Parsley Sprigs - 4 fresh
- Champagne Sauce
- Shallot - 1 tablespoon, minced
- Champagne - 1/2 cup, dry
- Champagne Vinegar - 2 tablespoons
- Heavy (Whipping) Cream - 1/2 cup
- Unsalted Butter - 4 tablespoons, cut into small pieces
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Place the oysters on a baking sheet and bake them for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the edges of the oysters begin to curl.
Spoon the Champagne Sauce over the oysters and top 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 in each of 4 dishes and arrange 5 oysters on each. Garnish each plate with a sprig of fresh parsley.
Champagne Sauce (Makes 1-1/4 cups)
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 the 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 the salt and pepper, adding a minimum of salt since the oysters and prosciutto are salty. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and keep warm over hot water. The sauce may be made up to 2 hours ahead and kept in a warm thermos.
