Nage Oysters And Asparagus In Pernod Veloute Recipes

OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL WITH PERNOD DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)
• Cover platter with crushed ice. Top with oysters. Place dipping sauce in center of platter. Serve immediately.

FRIED OYSTER SALAD WITH PERNOD BUTTERMILK DRESSING

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the egg, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, green onions, 1/4 cup of the cheese, buttermilk, and Pernod. Pulse until smooth. Season the mixture with the Worcestershire sauce, salt and black pepper. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and mix until the mixture is thick. Reseason if necessary. Refrigerate the dressing until well chilled, about 1 hour.
• Season the oysters with Essence. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and cornmeal together. Season the flour with Essence. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil.
• Dredge the oysters in the seasoned flour, coating each side completely. Shake off the excess flour and carefully lay in the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes on each side.
• Remove the oysters from the oil and drain on a paper-lined plate. Season the oysters with Essence. Set aside and keep warm.
• Toss the greens with the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Mound the greens in the center of each plate and arrange the oysters around the greens. Sprinkle the top of each salad with the remaining cheese.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William and Morrow, 1993.

ASPARAGUS VELOUTé

Steps:

• 1. Wash the asparagus. Cut 2 inches (5 cm.) off the tips and save them for another use. Do not peel the stalks but cut them into 15-inch (3-cm.) pieces.
• 2. Bring the stock or broth to a boil in a soup pot. When it bubbles, add the asparagus pieces and sugar. Turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• 3. Blend and pass through a fine strainer (a chinois if possible), pressing on the solids with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Put the soup back in the pot, bring back to a boil, and boil about 30 minutes more.
• 4. Thoroughly mix the cornstarch in a bowl with 1 tablespoon cold water. Beat the yolk and cream together in a bowl large enough to hold all the soup.
• 5. When the soup in the pot has been reduced by about half, whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly, and then gently pour everything into the bowl with the egg-cream mixture, whisking as you pour.
• 6. Pour the contents of the bowl back into the soup pot and heat very gently in order to thicken. Stir with a spatula and turn off the heat at the first sign of boiling. Blend. Season with salt as necessary.

FETTUCCINE WITH OYSTERS AND PERNOD

Steps:

• Bring 3 quarts of water to boil in a covered pot for fettuccine.
• In food processor, process yogurt and ricotta until smooth. In a small cup, blend cornstarch thoroughly with Pernod to make smooth paste, and pour into yogurt-ricotta mixture. Process briefly to mix.
• Cut large oysters in thirds or halves, leaving small oysters whole. Mince garlic.
• Simmer oysters and garlic in a medium pot until edges of oysters begin to curl, just a few minutes.
• Trim external fat from prosciutto, and cut remaining prosciutto into small dice.
• Drain liquid from oysters, leaving oyster and garlic mixture in strainer. Using the same pot, cook the yogurt mixture over medium heat until it begins to thicken, about one minute. Stir in the prosciutto.
• Cook fettuccine according to package directions.
• Coarsely grate cheese.
• Combine oysters with "cream" sauce, and season with salt and pepper. Drain the fettuccine, top with oyster mixture and sprinkle with the cheese.

POACHED OYSTERS IN PERNOD CREAM

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix together creme fraiche, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Transfer mixture to a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. Refrigerate, and let drain for 2 hours. Transfer solids to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add heavy cream, 1 1/2 cups reserved oyster liquor, and the Pernod; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt and remaining teaspoon pepper; reduce heat to medium. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes; remove from heat. Add half of the spinach to saucepan and puree mixture using an immersion blender, or in batches in a blender or food processor. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large skillet; keep warm.
• Heat oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed pot until it reaches 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches, fry remaining spinach until crispy, about 45 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, remove cooked spinach and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate; season with salt.
• Add oysters to cream sauce and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until the edges start to curl, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
• To serve, arrange six oysters in each of six shallow bowls. Spoon 1/2 cup cream sauce into each bowl; spoon a dollop of creme fraiche in the center, top with caviar, and garnish with fried spinach. Serve immediately.

CHEESY BAKED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Arrange asparagus in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish; add cream, salt and pepper. Top with mozzarella, cashews and Parmesan cheese. Bake until asparagus is tender and cheese is melted and golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Transfer dish to wire cooling rack; let stand 5 minutes before serving.

FOUR SEASONS OYSTERS IN CHAMPAGNE VELOUTé

Steps:

• Remove the oysters from their shells and refrigerate. Reserve the oyster lIquid and the shells.
• Melt butter in a 2 1/2 quart saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes with stirring while not letting the mixture brown. Add enough fish stock to the oyster juice to make 1 cup. Gradually beat the mixture into the flour mixture and when thickened and smooth, let the sauce simmer gently for about 20 minutes, whisking often to prevent the sauce from sticking to the pan.
• Stir in 1/4 cup of the champagne and the cream. Simmer the mixture until it has reduced to one cup.
• In a separate pan heat the remaining 1/4 cup champagne with the herbs and cook until the liquid has almost evaporated. Add the mixture to the sauce ane season with the pepper.
• Preheat your broiler. Line a pan large enough to hold all of the oysters with rock salt or crumpled foil to hold them in place. Rinse and dry the shells and place them in the pan.
• Put an oyster on each shell and spoon a heaping Tbs of the sauce over each. Glaze briefly under the broiler, transfer to individual plates and serve at once.

SPAGHETTI WITH SEAFOOD VELOUTé

Steps:

• Prepare all the seafood by first opening the oysters into a sieve over a bowl to catch the juices (see video technique). Trim and slice the salmon into 6 equal-size square chunks. If the scallops are large, cut them in half lengthways. Peel and devein the prawns if needed.
• Place the strained oyster juice and fish stock into a shallow saucepan and bring to a simmer. First add the salmon and poach for 1 min. Add the prawns and oysters (if using large ones) and poach for 1 min more. Add the scallops and poach for 1 min more, then add the oysters (if small) and simmer everything for a final min until just cooked.
• Carefully tip the fish and poaching liquid into a sieve over a large saucepan or bowl, keeping all the salmon chunks intact.
• Heat half the butter in the cleaned shallow pan and add the shallot. Cook very gently for 5 mins until soft but not coloured, then pour in the alcohol and boil until reduced to a few tablespoons. Pour in the poaching liquid and boil down until reduced by half, about 20-25 mins. Stir in the cream and, once more, reduce by half. Turn down to a gentle simmer and whisk in the rest of the butter.
• Gently add the seafood to the sauce, taking care not to break up the salmon. Simmer lightly until heated through, then add most of the herbs, squeeze over the lemon juice and set aside.
• Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling water until just done, about 3-4 mins, then drain well and add back to the pan with a drizzle of olive oil and the rest of the herbs. You are now ready to plate up.
• Use a roasting fork to twirl a neat bundle of spaghetti. Stand the bundle in the middle of a warm large pasta bowl. Alternate the salmon and seafood around the pasta. Spoon the sauce over the seafood, top the pasta with the chervil or parsley sprigs and serve immediately.

FOUR SEASONS OYSTERS IN CHAMPAGNE VELOUTE

Steps:

• Remove the oysters from the shells and refrigerate. Reserve the oyster liquid and the shells.
• Melt butter in a 2 1/2-quart saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes without letting the mixture brown. Add enough fish stock to the oyster juice to make 1 cup. Gradually beat this into the flour mixture and when thickened and smooth, let the sauce simmer gently for about 20 minutes, whisking often to prevent the sauce from sticking to the pan.
• Stir in 1/4 cup of the Champagne and the cream. Simmer until the mixture is reduced to 1 cup, whisking often.
• In a separate pan, heat the remaining 1/4 cup Champagne with the herbs and cook until the liquid is almost evaporated. Add the mixture to the sauce and season with pepper.
• Preheat broiler. Line a baking pan large enough to hold the shells in a single layer with rock salt or crumpled foil to hold them steady. Rinse and dry the shells and place in the pan.
• Put an oyster on each shell and spoon about 1 heaping teaspoon of sauce over each. Glaze briefly under the broiler, transfer to individual plates and serve at once.