Posts Tagged ‘Oysters’

Duck and Oyster Gumbo
(serves 8 – 10)

Ingredients
2 wild ducks (2½ to 3 lbs. each), quartered
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp. herbes de Provence
1 cup rendered duck fat or lard (or vegetable oil if you must)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 onions, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 lb. andouille sausage, diced
½ lb. smoked pork sausage, chopped
1 tbsp. minced garlic
3 qts. chicken or duck stock
2 cups oyster liquor
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. Creole seasoning
2 bay leaves
2 cups okra, diced (frozen works fine)
3 cups oysters
Tabasco sauce
1 quart cooked jasmine rice
½ cup chopped green onions

Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F.

Liberally season the ducks with salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence. Slowly roast in preheated oven until most of the fat has rendered out and the skin is nice and crispy, about 2 hours. Remove the ducks from the oven, and reserve the fat. Once cool, pick all the meat and skin from the ducks, and cut into roughly 1½-inch pieces. Reserve.

To make the roux, heat 1 cup of reserved duck fat (or lard) in a pot over medium heat, add the flour, and allow it to slowly cook to a light golden brown. This should take about ½ hour. Adjust heat if necessary (if cooking too fast) and allow the roux to further brown, stirring often, until it resembles the color of milk chocolate. This should take approximately another 5 minutes. Stir in the onions, and cook until the roux takes on a deep dark chocolate color. This should take another 5 to 10 minutes. Add the duck, celery, sausages, and garlic, and cook to combine for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add stock, oyster liquor, Worcestershire, Creole seasoning, bay leaves, and okra, and bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until flavors marry, occasionally skimming the fat that rises to the top, about 1½ hours.

Add the oysters, and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Season the gumbo to taste with salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce. Serve over rice in a large flat soup bowl, and garnish with chopped green onions.

Read more on this at: http://gardenandgun.com/article/anatomy-classic-duck-and-oyster-gumbo?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=december2016_twitter

Photo By Carolyn Davidson Hicks

Make it chowder by adding diced potatoes, leave them out and you’ve got Oyster Soup! Either way, they are both delicious! Serves Four!

Ingredients:
1/2 pint of fresh oysters
1 pint of heavy whipping cream
1 cup of vegetable or fish broth
1 small onion finely chopped
2 medium potatoes diced
1/2 stick of softened butter
1 tablespoon of flour
salt and pepper

Directions:
On medium heat, saute the onions and potatoes until tender.  Add broth, milk and butter plus seasonings. Stir ever few minutes so you don’t scorch your milk.  Remove about 1/2 of the broth and add flour, stir until it is smooth, almost like a paste and save for later.  Once the chowder barely starts to simmer, add chopped oysters slowly, stirring occasionally and add the thickener you just made and stir for about 20 minutes on low heat.

Garnish with fresh Chives and Oyster Crackers!

Photo By Carolyn Davidson Hicks

1/2 pint of fresh oysters
Cornbread dressing (follow directions on the package) left overs after a holiday works great!
Ramekin’s 4 oz to 12 oz sizes or a 9 x 12 baking dish
A couple of celery stalks
1 small onion diced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese enough for 2, 12 oz Ramekins. Adjust according to size of dish and amount of dressing. Allow enough to top each one as well as adding to the mixture
3/4 to 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 egg beaten

We used two 12 oz Ramekin’s for this recipe but it is easily adapted for more. Spray Ramekins with Parkay. Depending on the amount of left over dressing you have, you may need more Ramekins or a baking dish. Sautee onions and celery until tender and then add the dressing and cream, fold into mixture.  Then add oysters and softened butter and shredded cheddar cheese. fold once more. Fill Ramekins. Once Ramekins are filled, place in a preheated oven for about 25 minutes at 350 degree’s. Sprinkle the tops with a little cheese and allow to melt before removing from oven! Casserole should be thick and creamy.

Garnish with Chives!

Note: The heavy cream softens the leftover dressing and allows other ingredients to be added and folded in. Adding the egg will also allow the mixture to rise a bit and remain moist as a  casserole!