| Since I do most of my entertaining in New Orleans, the great majority of my recipes are geared toward the warm weather -- as are my serving pieces. Over the years, I’ve amassed a collection of silver shells, in the form of everything from ashtrays and platters to a ladle whose “bowl” is a deep scallop. One of my favorite shops is Manhattan’s Ruzzetti & Gow, whose wares include cockleshell salts and sea urchin candlesticks, and I have no less than three fish sets.
Once, in an all-night glue-gunning frenzy, I encrusted a half-dozen clay pots with shells I’d collected myself in order to create vases for a summer “shellfish” party. By now it’s hard to tell if my tabletop bounty begat my menus or vice versa; either way, shellfish is so abundant here that it seems crazy not to serve it all the time. I rarely start a party, at any time of year, without passing some sort of oysters. One of my favorite takes on the ubiquitous fried oyster is a “deconstructed Rockefeller,” in which a crouton is spread with a fennel aioli (fennel and watercress are the primary greens in a classic Rockefeller sauce, not the spinach so often used) and topped with a crisp oyster and a tangle of herbs. Often I pair them with the old-fashioned version on the half shell -- which gives me an excuse to pull out more of my “stuff” in the form of oyster plates.
| OYSTER APPETIZERS |
Yield: 24 appetizers Fennel Aioli (recipe follows)
24 (1/4-inch-thick) pieces of thinly sliced French bread, toasted
Fried Oysters (recipe follows)
Herb Topping (recipe follows) 1. Spread 1 teaspoon aioli on each bread slice, and top with an oyster and 1 teaspoon Herb Topping. Serve immediately. Fennel Aioli
This is also terrific served with shrimp or any poached whitefish. 2 medium fennel bulbs
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced, divided
3 large pasteurized egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon each salt and white pepper to taste
1. Trim fennel bulbs and cut into thin slices. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium heat. Add fennel slices, vinegar, and seeds; sauté 10 minutes, stirring often. Add 1 garlic clove and remaining oil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until fennel is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
2. Remove fennel and garlic, and place in food processor, reserving oil. (Do not use a blender.) Add remaining garlic to the food processor. Purée. With machine running, add egg yolks, 1 at a time, and process until smooth.
3. While machine is running, gradually add oil from fennel mixture in a slow, steady stream. Process until blended. Season with salt and white pepper. Fried Oysters
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup fine fresh breadcrumbs (from a loaf of French bread)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 dozen oysters, shucked, drained, and dried on paper towels
1 stick butter, melted
Peanut or vegetable oil
1. Mix cornmeal, breadcrumbs, and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a shallow pan.
2. Dip oysters in melted butter and then in cornmeal mixture to coat,
placing them on a cookie sheet.
3. Pour oil to a depth of 1 inch in a heavy skillet; heat over medium heat to 375° or until a piece of bread dropped in the pan sizzles. Add oysters a few at a time, and fry until golden brown, no more than 2 minutes, turning once. Before adding more, wait for oil to reheat to 375°.
4. Drain cooked oysters on paper towels, adding more salt to taste. Repeat with remaining oysters, adding more oil as needed. Herb Topping
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh chervil
1/3 cup chopped fresh fennel fronds
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1. Combine herbs in a medium bowl. Toss with olive oil and lemon juice until coated. |
For years, I made crabmeat maison (lump crabmeat tossed in homemade mayonnaise with capers and sliced green onion) or crab Louis for a first course (or as hors d’oeuvres served on toast points), and I still do. But my friend Suzanne Rheinstein, a brilliant interior designer and an excellent hostess, always insists on Green Goddess Dressing, and when I finally had it at her house, I realized why. It’s delicious, and the colors -- creamy, herby green atop a snowy mound -- are gorgeous. With shrimp, the possibilities are endless. I love them in a mustardy rémoulade sauce piled beside white celery root rémoulade on a platter; I love them sautéed in garlic and ginger with basmati rice, or in a sauce Creole enlivened with a pinch of curry. (The 19th-century English believed that the heat slowed down the digestive system and that the curry powders they learned to make from the Indians worked as a stimulant.) For dessert, “cold” and “lemon” are my warm-weather bywords. Among my favorites is the lemon-and-almond “lotus” ice cream that was a mainstay at the late Justine’s in Memphis. Always, there should be lots of cold white wine, and to start, the most refreshing cocktail there is, a Pimm’s Royale, another import from the Brits who, in their heyday, knew an awful lot about hot weather.
For Julia Reed's Pimm's Royale recipe, click here.
| CRAB SALAD |
Yield: 8 servings 1 head Bibb lettuce
2 pounds jumbo lump crabmeat, picked and drained
Green Goddess Dressing (recipe follows)
Garnishes: chopped fresh chives, lemon wedges 1. Place one large leaf of lettuce on each of 8 salad plates. Top with 1/4 cup crabmeat, and drizzle with 3 tablespoons Green Goddess Dressing. Garnish, if desired. Green Goddess Dressing
This dressing is best when made a day ahead to give the flavors time to meld. 1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup homemade or good quality mayonnaise
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
1/3 cup chopped green onion
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. Purée all ingredients together in a food processor until creamy and pale green. Cover and chill 8 hours. |
| LOTUS ICE CREAM |
Yield: About 1 quart (6 to 8 servings) 2 2/3 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup finely chopped toasted almonds
2 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Gourmet almond cookies
Garnishes: chopped toasted almonds, lavender sprigs and flowers, lemon zest
1. Combine cream and next 6 ingredients (through almond extract) in a bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Pour into freezer container of an electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve with almond cookies, and garnish, if desired. |
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