Oyster Ceviche In The Shell With Popcorn Food

OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL WITH GREEN TOBIKO CAVIAR AND YUZU GRANITEE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, heat the lemon zest and lime zest with the sake over medium-high heat until the sake is evaporated. Set aside to cool.
• In a separate saucepan, mix water, sugar, yuzu juice, lemon juice, lime juice, and corn syrup and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer without stirring until all the sugar has dissolved, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let syrup cool completely. Add the lemon and lime zest, then pour into a shallow baking dish or plastic container and place in the freezer. (The 6 cup capacity shallow plastic containers with a lid that measure 6 inches by 10 inches by 2 inches deep, and which you can get in grocery stores would be ideal for the purpose.)
• Check after about 2 hours and stir the mixture. After about 4 hours, the mixture will have begun to set up, and you can score the surface by turning a spoon backwards and using the tip to scrape the frozen syrup into "ice curls." Repeat this scraping process periodically, every 2 hours or so, until all of the syrup is scraped into the consistency of water ice. Serve after 8 hours.
• Arrange the oysters on a bed of ice. Top each oyster with 1/8 teaspoon of wasabi and 1/8 teaspoon caviar. Serve with yuzu granitee.

RAW OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL WITH CUCUMBER MIGNONETTE

Steps:

• For the Oysters:
• Begin by shucking oysters. Find a durable, thick cloth and fold it over several times to create a square; this will steady the oysters as you shuck them and also protect your hand. Using the towel as a mitt, hold the oyster firmly on a flat surface. Insert the tip of your oyster knife between the shell halves, and work it around 1 side to the other as you pry it open. Using the knife, cut the muscles away from the top, flat shell, bend the shell back, and discard it. Run the knife underneath the oyster to detach it completely, but leave it in its shell (take care not to cut the meat itself). Nestle the oysters in a bed of crushed ice or wet rock salt to keep them steady. Serve immediately.
• For the Cucumber Mignonette Sauce:
• In a small bowl, combine the rice wine vinegar, shallots, ginger, cucumber, sugar and black pepper; mixing with a fork. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to the day before you plan to serve, to allow the flavors to come together. Serve with raw oysters.
• For the Cocktail Sauce:
• Mix ingredients in a blender to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

AMUSE BOUCHE OF THYMEROASTED OYSTERS IN THE SHELL

Steps:

• Remove the oyster from the shell and place on paper towels. Reserve the bottom half of the shell and scrub well. Pick 6 sprigs of thyme and reserve for garnish. Sprinkle the other thyme over the oysters and season with pepper. Heat the olive oil in a small saute pan and add the oysters, thyme side down. Cook for 20 seconds until oysters are lightly brown. Return the oyster to bottom shell with a drop of lamb jus. Mound the salt over 6 small plates and place the oyster and shell on the salt. Garnish with remaining thyme sprigs.

OYSTER AND HABANERO CEVICHE

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Serve in oyster shell halves.