Want a classy summer cocktail party? Start by serving your guests a platter of fresh shucked oysters and sparkling wine. On a hot summer day, the cool and refreshing taste of oysters can instantly transport you and make you  feel as though  you are sitting by the sea with the sound of the waves crashing and salt water spray in your hair.

Oysters and bubbly have the perception of being lavish treats but in reality they are very economical. Oysters cost approximately $1.00  a piece, sometimes less. You don’t need to cook anything just shuck them. This can be a little tricky at first but once you are comfortable with finding the “hinge” its really not that hard.

Setting up an oyster bar can be a lot of fun too.  Prepare  a few toppings in advance,  make sure you have a garbage handy and cocktail napkins, crush some ice and present the oysters, hire a chef to do the shucking if there’s more than 24 oysters and voila! Oyster Bar!

Oyster Bar Essentials

Toppings:

Freshly grated horseradish (jarred is OK )

Lemon/Lime wedges

Tabasco or other hot sauce

Cocktail Sauce

Fresh Ground Pepper

Mignonette Sauce  (1/2 cup Red wine vinegar, 2 tbs finely minced shallot, 1 tbs course ground pepper, pinch of salt)

Supplies:

Oyster Shucker

Garbage Can

Cocktail napkins

Small Plates

Serving bowls/ spoons/ forms for serving toppings

Crushed ice to place oysters over

Large shallow bowl for crushed ice + shucked oysters

Suggested Accompaniments:

Sparkling wine

Fresh bread + butter

Shoe string fries + garlic aioli

Cocktail shrimp

Decor Ideas:

Scattered sea shells

Vases filled with whole lemons

 How to Shuck An Oyster 101

Equipment:

1. Oyster Shucker

2. Sturdy Kitchen Towel

Step one: Scrub the oysters well under cold water, and lay them on a plate of crushed ice

Step two: Place the oyster, bumpy side down, on a folded kitchen towel.

 Step three: Align the top of the shucker knife to the hinge of the oyster 

Step four: Fold towel over to secure oyster

Step five: Hold the oyster steady with one hand, and gently push knife into hinge until you feel the knife slide in slightly   

Step six: Twist knife until hinge pops open

Step seven:  Insert knife all the way, running it along the upper half of the shell  

Step eight: Lift up upper half of shell, scraping off any attached flesh.  Run the knife underneath the oyster to detach the muscle.  

Step nine: Carefully place on crushed ice, discard top shell.

*Be sure to reserve as much of the liquid, also known as oyster liquer, as possible.

Some Oyster Facts:

Like wine, oysters owe much of their flavor to environment in which they grow. Oysters are influenced by their surroundings and develop to be salty or sweet, with notes of cucumber, melon, herbs, flint or copper.

Canadian oysters are farmed in British Columbia,Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The two main types of oysters farmed in Canada are Eastern and Pacific. Some of the best-known and “bar” favourite oysters are the Malpeque from Prince Edward Island and the Kusshi from British Columbia.

Buy only live oysters: their shells must be closed, heavy and engorged with water. If a shell is half-open, knock it against a hard surface—a live oyster will close.

For even more flavourful oysters, open them 15 minutes before tasting.

Rule Britannia 

Great Britain was next on my destination list. I made it my mission to try as many traditional British dishes as possible. Despite the terrible reputation that Britain has had for food I really enjoyed the cuisine there. I think that they have become conscious of the bad rap they’ve had but instead of totally changing their cuisine and trying to invent something completely different I think they (like so many of us now ) returned to basics and have focused on quality ingredients which has worked. Here are some of my favourite memories of British cuisine:

Pies + Pasties

Pies and pasties are probably the most quintecential British food and the Brits are obsessed with them. Pies were the ‘thang’  in medieval times are were even given props in songs and poems like “4 and 20 Black birds baked in a pie…”  There have been chronicles found recording giant meat pies that would sometimes be as large as 9 feet, needed two men to carry them and were placed on wheels so they could be wheeled around to the guests. Crazy.  In Victorian times, pie-men would be like hot dog vendors selling them at fairs and to construction workers.

Pies come in a variety of shapes and sizes and with a plethora of fillings such as steak and kidneys, mutton or game bird. Most are filled with the classic combo; meat + vegetables.

Different regions have different pies  that they are famous for;

Cambridge:   Huntingdon ‘fidget pie’- Apple, bacon, potato, onion. Yes please.

West Yorkshire: Denby Dale Pie- A squarely designed pie cooked with gravy strewn potatoes, stewing beef,  onions, and occasionally laced with Yorkshire beer. Serious comfort food.

The difference between a pie and a pasty is that a pasty is like a calzone but made with pie crust, they are great as “to-go”  meals. Cornish pasties are the original version and they are pretty gosh darn delicious with beef, potatos, onions and turnips. They really hit the spot on a dreary day.

British Bangers

 Bangers to the Brits are like cheeses to the french. If you go to a butcher shopped there are lists of bangers with different meats and spices from various regions all over Britain. The most famous banger is the Cumberland sausage.  It’s usually sold as a long coil and  has chopped meat, not ground. Cumberland sausages are also protected and can only be made in Cumbria. “Bangers + Mash” is the classic combo usually served with a side of peas but proper British breakfasts are also not complete with out a good banger or two.

I was particulary fond of the wild boar bangers I had with creamy mashed potatoes,  boiled savoy cabbage  and coved in veal jus (pictured on the far right). I was served this is in a gorgoues gastro pub in Oxford that reminded me of a hunting lodge. That’s the way to do British food.

La Petite Conclusion

There were a lots of other dishes I had that were fantastic but I would have to say that  Bangers and Pies like these can’t be replicated anywhere else except the U.K so they get first place. If you are ever across the pond I highly recommend that you seek out some gastro pubs and fill up on these national treasures. Overall, when its comes to British food, don’t knock it till you try it!

 Below are some other favourite culinary memories from the U.K just to make you hungry…

Loads of Turkish Delight