Chef Charlie Palmer with Chef de Cuisine Mike
Altman of
Astra–New York, NY
Adapted by StarChefs
Yield: 12 hors d’oeuvres
Ingredients:
Rémoulade sauce:
- 1/2 cup crème fraîche
- 2 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, and chopped
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons capers, drained and chopped
- 2 Tablespoons chopped chives
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Oysters:
- 1 cup tempura flour
- 1/3 cup ice water
- 12 Malpeque oysters, cleaned
- 1 package Kataifi (shredded) phyllo dough
- 4 cups vegetable oil
- Rock salt and whole peppercorns for plating
Method:
For rémoulade:
Whip the crème fraîche until medium peaks form. Fold
in the chopped egg, mayonnaise, capers, chives, and lemon juice.
Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Cover and
refrigerate.
For oysters:
Mix the ice water into 3/4 cup of the tempura flour, reserve.
Shuck the oysters and reserve meat and shells separately. On a
clean work surface, lay out kataifi and cut into 12 lengths that
are approximately 1-inch wide and 3-inches long. Dredge the oysters
in 1/4 cup dry tempura flour, then dip in the wet tempura mix,
and roll each oyster in one kataifi strip. Refrigerate until ready
to serve.
To assemble and serve:
Heat the vegetable oil to 350°F in a medium sized saucepot.
(To check without a thermometer, drop a small amount of the tempura
batter into the oil, it should sizzle and the batter should quickly
rise to the surface of the oil.) If necessary, lower the heat
to keep the temperature constant.
Line a large plate with rock salt and peppercorns, set the oyster
shells onto the bed of salt and set aside.
Carefully place each oyster into the oil. Use a fork to turn
them in the oil to promote even browning. Remove from oil when
golden brown and transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to
drain. Sprinkle the oysters with salt.
Spoon a pool of rémoulade into each oyster shell and place
an oyster atop each. Serve the hors d’oeuvre with cocktail
forks.
Wine Pairing:
A refreshing, peppery Grüner Veltliner like the Huber Grüner-Veltliner
2003.
