Oustau De Baumanieres Warm Oysters With Zucchini Recipes

OUSTAU DE DE BAUMANIERE'S LOBSTER WITH RATATOUILLE

Steps:

• To prepare the ratatouille, dice separately the zucchini, eggplants, onions and the red pepper in quarter-inch cubes. Peel, remove seeds and chop the tomatoes.
• In a heavy skillet, saute separately the zucchini, eggplant, onions and pepper, using a tablespoon of olive oil for each vegetable. Combine, with the tomatoes, a garlic clove and the fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste, let simmer a half hour until the liquid evaporates. Adjust seasoning, adding a speck of sugar if needed. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• To make the lobster: On a butcher block, twist the tail of the live lobsters at the top of the body, bend in two, removing the little green pocket found at the bottom of the head containing the green sac which is the roe.
• Place the roe in a pan and heat it in the oven until it turns red, about three minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Finely dice the shallots and carrot and saute with the lobster claws, tail (which has been sliced crosswise), and simmer in very hot olive oil in a large skillet.
• At the end of a few minutes, the lobster shell will take on a bright red color. Add the white wine, one cup of the fish stock and the fresh tomatoes. Let cook, uncovered, about four to five minutes for the tail and seven to eight minutes for the claws. When cool enough to handle remove the lobster meat from the tail and claws and reserve. Crush the shells and add them to the sauce. Add the tarragon and cream and simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened.
• Mix the coral with the tablespoon of butter. Add this to the sauce and mix. Remove shell. Strain the sauce through a fine chinoise or other strainer and adjust the seasoning. Reheat the lobster meat in the extra cup of fish stock.
• With two soup spoons, make small quenelles of ratatouille that you will place on the plate. Cut the lobster tail into medallions and place with the claw meat on the plate. Spoon the sauce over the medallions and serve.

FILETS DE SOLE BAUMANIERE

Steps:

• Place shrimp shells on a tray in a 300 degree F. oven for 30 minutes to dry. Remove. Place 1/2 cup dry vermouth in a casserole pan on a gentle heat, add the fish fillets and season with salt and cayenne pepper. Cover the pan and poach fish for 5 minutes. Place shrimp shells in a blender with 1/4 cup dry vermouth and the melted butter. Blend until a thick paste is obtained. Place sole fillets on a heated serving dish and keep warm. Place the shrimp shell paste in the top of a double boiler on the heat and add 5/8ths cup fish poaching stock, the bay leaf, thyme and a pinch of saffron and allow mixture to infuse for 5 minutes. Place the mussels in a pan on a high heat with dry white wine and cover pan. Cook a few minutes, shaking pan from time to time. Remove mussels from shells. Sieve shrimp shell mixture into scalded cream - combine. Mix egg yolks with a little of the sauce and then combine with the rest of the sauce. Heat gently until thickened and add brandy. Garnish fish with shelled mussels and cooked shrimp and coat with sauce.

OUSTAU DE BAUMANIERE'S WARM OYSTERS WITH ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Cut each zucchini into six rounds and each round in fourths. Bring three cups of the fish stock to a boil and add the zucchini, cooking for about four minutes until the zucchini is crunchy. Plunge the zucchini into cold water. Prepare a julienne with the skin of the zucchini, blanch rapidly in the fish stock and place in cold water. Drain and dry, saving the stock to reheat later.
• Shuck the oysters, reserving the oyster water.
• Saute the shallot in one tablespoon of the butter in a two-quart pan. Add the white wine, the remaining three-quarters cup of fish stock, the creme fraiche and reduce by half. Add the oyster water, then the remaining butter, then put through a chinoise or other strainer and return to the pan.
• Heat the oysters in the sauce without letting the sauce boil.
• Reheat the zucchini rounds in the reserved fish stock.
• On each serving plate, arrange zucchini rounds into four to six circles per plate. Top each zucchini round with an oyster and decorate with zucchini julienne. Surround with the sauce.

STIR FRIED ZUCCHINI WITH OYSTER SAUCE

Steps:

• *These are the same mushrooms used in mu shu pork.
• They are variously called tree ears or wood ears.
• Pour boiling water over them and let soak for 15 minutes.
• Remove tough stems with a knife and julienne.
• They swell up to about four times their original size when soaked so it takes very little to make 1/4 cup!
• Be sure to remove the stems because they are extremely tough.
• If using cucumber, peel and remove seeds.
• Zucchini just needs to be washed.
• Slice or julienne.
• Or cut in finger sized pieces.
• Heat oil with salt in wok or skillet over high heat; add garlic and stir for a few seconds for aroma.
• Add cucumber& wood ears; stir fry 1 minutes Stir in sauce.
• Cover& simmer 1 minutes Thicken slightly with cornstarch mixture.
• Stir in a few drops of sesame oil.
• Serve immediately.