Hot Oysters With Watercress Food

BUTTER-FRIED OYSTERS

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, then raise the heat a little and cook at a bare simmer for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then pour through a fine-meshed strainer. (Save any milky juices, solids or foam left behind to add to rice or vegetables.) The clarified butter can be kept in a covered jar in the refrigerator for several weeks.
• Remove the crusts from the French loaf. Tear the bread into chunks and pulse in a food processor or blender to make about 4 cups of crumbs. The crumbs will keep in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for several days, or for longer in the freezer, tightly wrapped.
• Season the flour generously with salt and pepper. Dip the oysters in the flour and then in the beaten eggs. Spread a layer of bread crumbs on a baking sheet. Place the oysters on the sheet and sprinkle with more crumbs. Roll the oysters in the crumbs so that they are well coated, adding more if necessary.
• Heat a wide cast-iron skillet over a medium-high flame. Add clarified butter to a depth of 1/2 inch. Toss in a bread crumb - if it browns quickly the butter is hot enough. Carefully slip in breaded oysters in a single layer, frying in batches if needed to avoid crowding. Adjust the heat to keep the oysters gently bubbling in the butter. It should take about 2 minutes to get a golden, crisp coating. Turn the oysters and brown the other side, then drain on kitchen towels. Serve hot with red-pepper mayonnaise, lemon wedges and arugula or watercress, if you like.

HOT OYSTERS WITH WATERCRESS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
• Cut off tops of watercress. Discard stems. There should be about 3 cups of watercress leaves loosely packed. Bring large quantity of water to boil. Add tops of watercress and let cook about one minute. Drain immediately and run under cold running water. Press to extract as much liquid as possible. Place in clean towel and press further. Place watercress on flat surface and chop finely. There should be about one cup loosely packed. Watercress may be used as is or blended finely in food processor. Put watercress in small saucepan and add half of the heavy cream. Heat gently and set aside.
• In saucepan combine 2 tablespoons of butter, shallots and vinegar. Bring to boil and cook down over high heat until almost all liquid evaporates. Do not allow to evaporate totally. Add remaining cream and bring to boil over high heat. Start stirring rapidly with wire whisk.
• Immediately add remaining butter, tablespoon at a time, stirring vigorously with whisk. Add salt and pepper and remove from heat.
• Place oysters on baking dish and place in oven. Bake 5 minutes. This is done to heat them gently and allow them to be opened easily.
• Remove oysters from oven and, using small knife, preferably oyster knife, to help loosen top shells, open shells of each oyster and discard top shells. It will facilitate things if oysters are opened by 2 people. Reserve bottom shells with oysters.
• Cut away and reserve each oyster. Spoon an equal amount of the watercress mixture over each of reserved shells. Top each serving of watercress with one oyster. Arrange 3 sprigs of watercress on each of 4 dishes. Arrange 4 oysters on the half shell on each bed of watercress.
• Spoon hot butter sauce over oysters and serve immediately.