Sunday, February 14, 2010

Bivalventine's Day

How trite. Oysters for Valentine's Day.
Well, don't worry. Cranky wasn't trying to get lucky. These were cooked oysters. The magic doesn't work if they're cooked, does it? Never mind, I'll tell you in a few hours.
It has become our fallback oyster: West Marin style.
Last time we cooked them in the smoker while our bacon came to perfection (shame to waste all that heat and smoke, eh?).
This time we used the Smokey Joe, a tiny Weber grill you can buy at the drugstore for pretty cheap, and when your household is two people, little Joe is all we need. (Had to perch the grill up on a table to keep the young puppy away; she was six months old two days ago.)
Oh, they were delicious, and I don't have any true Marin heritage. I just know what I like.
A couple of years ago, up in Marshall, we chatted with the grill guy at Tony's while he cooked our bivalves. He was generous with the tips: Put the oysters on the grill. When the top shell loosens, wrench it off and apply a little bordelaise sauce. As soon as the oysters shrink away from the shell, dab on the barbecue sauce. Eat.
I've talked with locals who prefer a mignonette to a bordelaise, but I like the butter. As for the BBQ sauce, I make my own terribly simple version from homemade tomato sauce, salt, several drops of bottled hot sauce, and a pinch of ground cardamom.
...
OK, I'm back. It worked.

8 comments:

Zoomie said...

So clever the title!

Ms Brown Mouse said...

heheheehe - saucy!

Greg said...

Ha Ha puff puff! Happy V-day.

Denise | Chez Danisse said...

Oysters for Valentine's Day? Perfect! I'm a West Marin oyster fan too. Marshall Store is my favorite!

cookiecrumb said...

Zoomie: I confess I plagiarized myself; I had used the same title at The Examiner a few years ago... but at least it was original to me then (as far as I know). Thanks!

Mouse: Ooh, "saucy" = double entendre.

Greg: Ha ha! Geezer hoochie.

Denise: Of course you're a West Marin oyster fan. We have 10 more raw oysters in the fridge. Wow.

Hungry Dog said...

yeah, oysters. I'll eat 'em anytime, anywhere, with any kind of sauce. Bring it on. NOthing is better than eating oysters at Hog Island up in Marshall (although now I think it gets too crowded...too many people know about it).

You should post pictures of your little puppy too.

J-in-Wales said...

Oh dear. Oysterless of mid-Wales suddenly feels very hungry.
How many did you say you had left in your fridge?

cookiecrumb said...

J-in-Wales: Oh, dear. We had 20 oysters, when Cranky only ordered a dozen. What a gift from the fish monger. Today we ate the last 10 smallish ones raw. Loverly. I should have called you.