Oysters N Bacon Recipes

Steps:

• Make the compound butter: Remove the inner stem of the chard leaves and roughly chop. In a skillet, heat two tablespoons of butter and saute the Swiss chard until wilted. Season with a pinch of salt. Set aside to cool. Finely chop the bacon and place in a bowl along with the butter. Add the lemon juice to the bacon/butter mixture. Finely chop the garlic and mix into the bacon/butter along with the Parmesan, thyme, and chives. Season with salt and pepper. Finely chop the chard and fold into the butter mixture. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside. (To store, form into a log, wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator. Soften first before using on oysters).
• Shuck the oysters: Using an oyster knife, locate the "keyhole" in the top of the oyster. Stick the tip of the knife into the keyhole and wiggle it until until the top releases. Wedge your finger along the side of the oyster (it won't hurt!), just to open it enough to run the knife along the edge. (This will keep the oyster from puncturing as it's opened.) Shuck the oysters, leaving the connector muscle attached, so they stay in place for baking.
• Bake the oysters: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Fill a deep cast iron skillet halfway with sea salt or rock salt and place in the oven to come up to temperature. Pull the heated rock salt dish from the oven. Carefully place the oysters on the salt and dollop with a generous amount of the compound butter. Place in the oven for about 6-8 minutes, until the butter melts and the oysters are slightly curled. Finish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve right out of the hot casserole.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Lay bacon out on a roasting pan in a single layer and bake for 10 minutes until just crispy - remember they will be going back into the oven with the oysters so you don't want to finish the bacon just yet. While the bacon is cooking, put the butter, garlic, shallots, bell pepper, celery, lemon juice, oregano, and cayenne pepper in a food processor; pulse until well combined, but still has texture. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Remove bacon from oven and cut each slice into 6 so you have a total 24 pieces. Lay oysters in their half shells out on a large roasting pan in a single layer. Place 1 tablespoon of the casino butter mixture on top of each oyster and place a piece of bacon on each. Bake oysters in the hot oven until bubbly, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Finish with finely chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a towel, grasp and oyster in the palm of your hand. Press the oyster, rounded-side down, on a firm surface, still holding it with the towel. Shuck the oyster by wedging the tip of an oyster knife (regular knives are too thin-bladed) between the halves of the shell, at the shell's narrowest end. When the knife tip is securely wedged, rotate the blade to pry open the shell. Slide the knife blade along the length of the shell to open completely. Remove the oyster from the shell and reserve, along with its juice. From each pair of oyster shells, save the one that is most concave on the inside, and discard the one that is flatter. Place the concave shells in a pan of cold water and scrub inside and out. Place the clean oyster shells on a cookie sheet and set aside.
• Dip the tomatoes briefly in boiling water to loosen the skins, then in ice water. Peel, cut in half, remove and discard the seeds, and dice.
• Have the remaining ingredients measured and ready beside the stove. When you are ready to begin cooking the oysters, place the cookie sheet containing the oyster shells in the oven. On the top of the stove, melt the butter in a hot saute pan until it begins to foam. Add the shallots, the oysters and their juice and the white wine. Cook the oysters 30 seconds, then add the heavy cream. Bring to a quick boil, then reduce to a simmer just 1 minute more, or until the oysters' edges begin to curl. Add the tomato, tarragon and bacon. Heat another 30 seconds, then remove promptly from the heat.
• Remove the oyster shells from the oven and arrange 6 on each plate. Spoon 1 oyster into each shell and spoon a little of the sauce over each.
• A nice variation of this recipe is to place a "nest" of steamed spinach in each oyster shell before adding the oysters and sauce. Serve with Melba Toast, brioche toast points or toast points of country bread.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F.
• Make stuffing:
• Bring a 6- to 8-quart pot three-fourths full of water to a boil with kosher salt, then stir in spinach and cook 30 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl filled with ice and cold water to stop cooking. Drain spinach and squeeze dry, then finely chop.
• Wash leeks well in a bowl of cold water, then lift out and drain well.
• Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté bacon, stirring, until golden and just cooked through (but not crisp), about 3 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add leeks, shallot, and garlic to fat in skillet and cook over low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.
• Toss together leek mixture, spinach, bacon, bread crumbs, herbs, lemon zest and juice, sea salt, white pepper, nutmeg, and butter in a large bowl with a fork.
• Bake oysters:
• Spread 2 to 3 cups rock salt in each of 2 large shallow baking pans and nestle oysters (in shells) in it. Spoon a heaping tablespoon bread-crumb stuffing loosely on top of each oyster. Bake in batches in upper third of oven until golden, about 6 minutes.
• Serve warm oysters in shells on plates lined with rock salt.

Steps:

• Preheat a wood-fired or regular oven to 400 degrees F. Fill a 14-inch cast-iron pan with the rock salt.
• Shuck the oysters, keeping them in their bottom shells, then lay them on the rock salt, using care to save as much of the oyster liquor as possible. Place the entire pan in the oven and cook until the oysters are just set, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the bacon to a medium cast-iron pan, then set over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon until the fat has rendered out and the bacon begins to crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the onions to the pan and turn the heat down to medium-low. Sweat the onions until they have begun to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the mustard, then slowly add the vinegar, stirring. (You will want to stir and swirl the pan as you add the liquid, to help emulsify the mustard and vinegar into the bacon fat.) Add the watercress and stir the mixture to combine and wilt the cress.
• Remove the oysters from the oven. Evenly divide and top each oyster with the bacon vinaigrette.