Roasted Oysters with Bacon and Parmigiano-Reggiano

A couple years ago, Vince and I took a day trip up to Skagit County, Washington to see the tulips. We stopped in La Connor for lunch. The special of the day was Roasted Oysters. The menu described the dish as roasted oysters with a bacon cream sauce and seasoned bread crumbs. I asked the chef if he could accommodate my gluten sensitivity by leaving off the bread crumbs and he obliged. Yippee! What arrived was a creamy, decadent dish - briny, meaty oysters topped with a garlicky cream sauce and smokey bacon crumbles. We ate lunch on the sunny patio overlooking the river, watching eagles fight over a fish. A nice glass of Chardonnay, and I was in heaven.

I was so delighted by the oysters that I stopped on the way home and bought some fresh ones to recreate the dish. It is simply marvelous, if I do say so myself!

Try it as an appetizer or luncheon entree with a green salad.

Roasted Oysters with Bacon and Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan Cheese)

1 dozen large oysters, in the shell (I used Samish Bay)

1 cup heavy cream

1 to 2 cloves garlic

4 strips of cooked bacon, crumbled

1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano (go for the good stuff here, not the old green can)

Fresh cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Peel and slightly crush the garlic.  Add the garlic and heavy cream to a small sauce pan.  Heat to a simmer and reduce by half (approximately 10 minutes).  Remove from heat.

Scrub the oysters with a wire brush until clean. Shuck the cleaned oyster and place them on a baking sheet.  (Note: Shake a layer of rock salt onto the baking sheet before placing your oysters.  This will help them to stay upright and level while roasting.)  Sprinkle with bacon crumbles.  Spoon 1 ½ teaspoons of Parmegiano Reggiano onto each oyster.  Then spoon on heavy cream dividing it equally among the oysters.  

Roast the oysters until they are hot and the cream has begun to bubble and brown, approximately 10 minutes.

Baked Apple Pudding

I was in the mood for baked apples the other day but didn't have any walnuts and raisins to stuff the center with. Instead, I came up with this recipe for baked apple pudding based on a traditional Danish dessert and some ancient Quaker puddings from my great grandmother. 

Most of us only think of pudding from a box but this is a simple, old fashioned, baked fruit dessert. I've added arrowroot powder to thicken the pudding so it's gluten free and grain free.  It's a perfect mid-winter treat!
My husband can't get enough of it. Enjoy!

Baked Apple Pudding

Serves 6 to 8

4 granny smith apples

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp arrowroot powder

1 tsp cinnamon

4 tbsp softened butter plus additional for pie plate

¼ c sugar

½ c ground almonds

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350F.

Generously butter a ceramic pie plate. Peel, core and dice apples. In a medium mixing bowl, combine diced apples, 2 tbsp sugar, arrowroot powder and cinnamon. Toss to coat the apples. Pour apples into prepared pie plate, cover with aluminum foil and bake 45 minutes.

While the apples are baking, cream together butter, ¼ c sugar and ground almonds. Beat egg, and stir into almond mixture until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Remove the baked apples from the oven. Remove foil and cover with almond mixture. Return to the oven and bake an additional 30 minutes until top is golden and set.

Serve warm or cold with ice cream or whipped cream.

Gluten-Free Beer Battered Fish

With all the focus on gluten-free diets, I thought I'd take a stab at a recipe that you don't normally find G-Free alternatives for. This gluten-free beer battered fish rocks! Honestly, I'd challenge anyone to detect a difference in taste between this batter fish and one made with regular flour!

Gluten-Free Beer Battered Fish
Ingredients:
Oil for deep-frying (about 6 cups)
1 1/2 lbs skinless fish fillets like cod, flounder or talapia
3 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste

For Batter
1 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
1 cup cornstarch
3/4 tsp xanthum gum
1 12 oz gluten free beer* or 12 oz club soda
1 large egg
1 tsp kosher salt

Combine the flour, cornstarch, xanthum gum, G-free beer or club soda, egg and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Heat oil to 375 F in a deep Dutch oven or deep fryer.

While the oil is heating, pat fish fillets dry with paper towels. Season with Old Bay Seasoning, salt and pepper. Drop the fillets into the batter and toss to coat evenly.

When the oil is hot, lift the fillets one by one into the batter with tongs. Let excess batter drip off before lowering the fillets into the oil. Tip: Swish the fillets back and forth in the hot oil for a few moments before letting go.  It helps to prevent sticking to the pot or fryer basket. Fry until the fillets are golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Serve with tartar sauce and lemon wedges!

*There are a number of Gluten-Free Beers on the market these days.  I've tried the recipe with Bard's The Original Sorghum Malt Beer (formerly Dragon's Gold).