Sponsored by The Greater Charleston Restaurant Association (GCRA), the Oyster Recipe Contest kicked off the season of the Lowcountry Oyster Festival. This year’s contest was held on Monday, January 24th, at The Culinary Institute of Charleston on the Palmer Campus. The Contest was divided into three areas: Culinary Students, Home Cooks and Industry Professionals. Each area was judged separately. The contestants had to prepare four identical plates, with one portion per plate, in only 45 minutes. Apple Wood Smoked Oysters Rockefeller with Creamy Succotash and Three-Grain Risotto Cake
Apple Wood Smoked Oyster Rockefeller
-16 oysters, shucked
-2 cups leaves baby spinach -2 cups watercress
-6 Tbl unsalted butter -1 Tbl Pernod
-3 Tbl green onion thinly sliced on bias -3 Tbl finely chopped parsley
-Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste - 1/2 Cup soaked apple wood chips
Blanch the spinach and watercress, drain and mince. Using a clean kitchen towel, squeeze all the liquid out of the spinach and watercress.
Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and watercress and stir constantly for 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the burner, add the Pernod, and light to flame. Once the flame is out, return the saucepan to the burner, add the green onion and parsley and cook for another 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the mixture out evenly on a baking sheet and refrigerate it until completely cold.
When ready to serve the dish, spoon the mixture on top of the oysters in the shell and smoke for 5 minutes either in a stove-top smoker or an outside smoker. Top the oysters with Hollandaise and bread crumbs and broil for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly.
Hollandaise
-2 Cups unsalted butter -4 egg yolks
-3 Tbl fresh lemon juice -2 dashes Tabasco sauce
-Salt and white pepper to taste
Melt the butter over low heat. Whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a metal bowl. Bring a small sauce pot of water to a simmer, place the bowl with the yolks over it (do not allow the bottom to touch the water) and whisk in melted butter slowly until incorporated into the eggs yolks. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens and instant-read thermometer registers 140°F, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove bowl from over water and whisk in the Tabasco. Season to taste. Cover to keep warm.
Bread Crumbs
-2 Cups Panko crumbs -6 oz unsalted butter, melted
-1/2 Cup chopped parsley
Combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
Three Grain Risotto Cake
-Pinch saffron thread -8 cups chicken stock
-2 Tbl olive oil -1 shallot, minced
-1/2 cup Arborio rice -1/2 cup quick-cook barley
-1/4 cup quinoa -1/2 cup white wine
-1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese -Herb Mix (Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Parsley)
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
-2 egg yolks, lightly beaten + 1 Tbl water & pinch of salt
-2 cups bread crumbs
Put the saffron and chicken stock in a saucepan and heat.
Put the olive oil and shallot in a large saucepan and bring heat up to medium-high. Stir constantly to cook the shallot to translucent, but do not let shallot brown. This should only take a few seconds. Add all the grains and stir until they are toasted. Add the white wine and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the grains begin to absorb wine. Stirring, add 2 ladles of warm stock. Continue to cook, stirring, until the stock is absorbed. Add 2 more ladles of stock. Repeat procedure until grains are al dente and liquid has been absorbed, though it may or may not take all of the stock to reach this point. Add salt, pepper, Parmesan and the herb mix to taste. Spoon the risotto into a 8” x 8” baking pan and refrigerate.
When the risotto is cold, cut it into squares or circles. Dip them in the egg, then generously coat with bread crumbs. Place the risotto cakes on a baking sheet and refrigerate them for at least 2 hours, or until bread crumbs are firm. Working in batches, panfry the cakes in vegetable oil for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until lightly brown and hot through. Makes 10.
Succotash
-1 Tsp unsalted butter -1/2 Cup small dice red bell peppers
-1 Cup cooked corn kernels -1 Cup cooked butter beans
-1/2 Cup vegetable stock -Pinch of Herb Mix (Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Parsley)
-1/2 Cup heavy cream -Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat the butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the peppers and sauté for 1 minute. Add the corn and butter beans and heat through. Increase the heat to high. Add the vegetable stock and pinch of Herb Mix and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the cream and continue to cook until the liquid reduces and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Serve.
Plating instructions: Put a hot risotto cake in the middle of the plate. Spoon some succotash on the side of the risotto cake. Fan the desired number of oysters over the succotash.
