Oyster Pie With Leeks Bacon And Mashed Potatoes Food

OYSTER PIE WITH LEEKS, BACON AND MASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until completely tender. Drain potatoes, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. Return potatoes to pot, add 2 tablespoons butter and season generously with salt and pepper. Mash well, adding cooking liquid as necessary to thin. Cover and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, render the bacon: Put a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add lardons. After a minute or so, when they begin to sizzle, turn heat to medium and stir them in pan to distribute evenly. Cook for a minute or two, letting bacon soften without browning. When it is just beginning to crisp, tip everything into a fine mesh sieve over a bowl to drain. (Reserve the fat for another purpose.) Set bacon aside.
• Put a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons butter. Add leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until wilted but still bright green, about 1 minute. Add reserved bacon, thyme, crème fraîche, heavy cream, mustard and cayenne; bring to a simmer. Add oysters and oyster juices, cook 1 minute, then remove from heat. The mixture will be rather soupy.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Transfer oyster mixture to a low-sided casserole dish approximately 9 inches across. Carefully cover the surface with spoonfuls of mashed potatoes in an even layer. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and Parmesan and dot with butter. Set pan on a baking sheet in case there's overflow while cooking. Bake for about 40 minutes, until you can see the stew simmering at the edges and the top is beautifully browned. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley.

OYSTER PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large saute pan or cast iron skillet add bacon and cook over low heat until rendered and crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan onto a paper towel line plate and keep the bacon fat over low heat. There should be about 1/4 cup of bacon fat left in the pan, canola oil can be added if you need more. Add the onions and the celery and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the green onions, garlic, Essence, salt, and cayenne. Add the flour and cook, stirring, to make a light roux, about 3 minutes. Add the oyster liquor, cream and lemon juice, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Next add the oysters and cook just until the oysters start to curl, about 2 minutes. Remove the oyster mixture from the heat and add the bacon and parsley, let cool slightly.
• Roll the dough out on a floured work surface and split into 2 equal pieces. Transfer half of the dough to a 9-inch pie pan and form into a crust and set aside.
• Pour the oyster mixture into the pie shell and cover with the other half of the rolled out dough. Crimp around the edges to seal and make slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly prior to serving.
• In a food processor, combine the flour, diced butter and salt. Pulse the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle in the ice water and pulse until the mixture comes together. Turn the dough out of the food processor, form into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• 1 pie shell
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch
• Published by William Morrow, 1993.

OYSTER SOUP WITH FRIZZLED LEEKS

Steps:

• Fry leeks:
• Cut leeks crosswise into 2-inch lengths, then cut lengthwise into enough very thin strips to measure 2 cups. Wash leek strips in a bowl of cold water, agitating them, then lift out and pat dry.
• Heat oil in a deep 4-quart heavy saucepan until it registers 360°F on thermometer. Fry leeks in 8 batches, stirring, until golden, about 10 seconds per batch. Transfer as fried with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Cool completely (leeks will crisp as they cool).
• Make soup:
• Pick over oysters, discarding any bits of shell, and rinse well. Wash chopped leeks in a bowl of cold water, agitating them, then lift out and drain well. Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Cook leeks, potatoes, and salt in butter in a 4-quart heavy saucepan, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until leeks are golden and potatoes are beginning to soften, about 15 minutes. Add water and simmer, covered, over moderate heat until potatoes are very tender, about 10 minutes. Purée soup in batches in a blender until very smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a bowl.
• Return soup to saucepan. Add oyster liquor and half-and-half and bring to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally (do not boil). Add oysters and cayenne and cook, stirring occasionally, just until oysters become plump and edges curl, about 3 minutes. Season with salt.
• Serve soup topped with fried leeks.

BACON, LEEK, AND POTATO PIE

Steps:

• Warm your MASHED potatoes.
• Set them aside and keep warm.
• Heat and cook the bacon in HALF the butter and ALL the oil in a medium-to-large frying pan until just beginning to brown and crisp.
• Remove from pan with a slotted spoon.
• Add leek to the grease in the pan.
• Add seasoning to taste, and the sugar.
• Meanwhile, preheat broiler to highest temperature and position rack.
• Fry leek gently over medium heat until soft and caramelized. Take care not to burn!
• Return the bacon to the pan and stir evenly through leek.
• Pour the mixture evenly into a standard-sized (9") pie pan.
• Add the REMAINING butter and 4 ounces of the cheese to the warmed potatoes.
• Season with salt & pepper to taste and mix well.
• Spoon the potato-cheese mixture evenly over the leeks and bacon, sprinkle evenly with REMAINING cheese, top decoratively with tomato slices and season the tomatoes with just a touch more salt possibly pepper if you like.
• Place pie under the broiler until the cheese is melted and the top is nicely browned in spots.

CHEESY BACON MASHED POTATO PIE

Steps:

• Line unbaked, unpricked pastry shell with foil; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake at 450° for 5 minutes; remove weights and foil; bake for 5 to 7 minutes longer, until almost done. Remove from oven.
• Reduce oven to 425°.
• Combine mashed potatoes, half-and-half and butter, set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, combine cottage cheese, sour cream, eggs, salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and black pepper; beat with electric mixer on high speed until smooth.
• Add potato mixture; beat 1 minute longer. Stir in shredded cheese, chopped onion and bacon. Pour potato mixture into warm pastry shell.
• Bake at 425° for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.