Poached Oysters In Champagne With A Julienne Of Vegetables Leaf Spinach And Prosciutto Ham Recipes

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, reduce 1 cup of champagne to approximately 1/4 cup of liquid. Add the cream and reduce mixture to 1 cup of liquid. Add butter and stir until butter melts and thickens the mixture. Toss in shucked oysters and remove from heat. Place one oyster and some sauce in each saved shell. Garnish with chives and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Lay the oysters on a bed of sea or rock salt on a sheet/baking tray. In a saute pan, melt butter on high heat and saute leeks until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season. Deglaze with ponzu and reduce by 50 percent. Check again for seasoning. Remove from pan and let cool. Fill a small saucepan half way with water and bring to a boil. Place yolks in a small stainless bowl that will fit on top of the sauce pan (bain marie set up). Whisk the yolks and 1 teaspoon of ponzu over the hot water. Be careful not to overcook the yolks by removing the bowl periodically from the heat. Continue whisking until ribbons are formed in the yolks following the whisk. Season and check for flavor. Remove form heat and fold in the cooled leeks. Cool to room temperature. Top each oyster with the leek sabayon and place in oven and immediately switch the setting to broil. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until top is brown and bubbly.
• PLATING: Serve on a decorative plate lined with cold sea/rock salt.
• BEVERAGE Blanc de Blanc Champagne
• In small sauce pan, very lightly coat with oil and saute the shallots, kaffir and ginger until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Reduce by 30 percent then transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate until cold. (It is recommended to do this a day ahead of time for deeper infusion.) Strain the mixture. In a food processor, add the salmon and cream and puree until very smooth. Season with black pepper only and check for seasoning. (Smoked salmon is usually very salty.) Transfer to a small bowl and fold in the zest, juice and chives. Transfer into medium ramekins and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 to 3 hours.
• PLATING: Serve the ramekins on plates surrounded by the pita chips. Garnish with chives.
• BEVERAGE Bright California chardonnay

Steps:

• Prepare artichoke bottoms:
• Fill a 3-quart saucepan halfway with water and add vinegar, oil, and salt, then whisk in flour. (Do not heat.)
• Cut off top inch of leaves of 1 artichoke with a serrated knife, then cut stem flush with base and discard stem. Bend back outer leaves until they snap off close to base, then discard several more layers of leaves in same manner until exposed leaves are pale green at top and pale yellow at base. Trim dark green fibrous parts from base and side of artichoke with a sharp paring knife, then cut remaining leaves flush with top of artichoke bottom. Drop artichoke bottom into water in pot, putting a sieve or small lid directly on top of artichoke to keep submerged, and prepare remaining artichokes in same manner. Bring to a boil, uncovered, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, keeping artichokes submerged with sieve or lid, until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Transfer artichokes with tongs (reserving water in saucepan) to a work surface, and, when cool enough to handle, remove pointed inner leaves and fuzzy chokes with a melon-ball cutter or a small spoon. Return artichokes to cooking water to keep warm, covered.
• Cook spinach while artichokes simmer:
• Put 1 inch of water in a 3- to 4-quart pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add spinach, 1 handful at a time, stirring with tongs, and cooking until all spinach is wilted. Drain spinach in a colander and press firmly with back of a large spoon to remove excess liquid.
• Cook shallot in butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add spinach, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Keep warm, covered.
• Prepare oysters and sauce:
• Pour oyster liquor into a nonreactive 8-inch heavy skillet and add Champagne, shallot, and vinegar. Bring to a boil and boil, skimming foam, until reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes. (Reduce heat if necessary to keep from boiling over.) Pour liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup, pressing on and then discarding shallot. Return liquid to skillet, then add cream and oysters and cook over moderate heat, turning oysters over if not completely covered, until edges curl, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
• Assemble dish and finish sauce:
• Transfer artichoke bottoms with tongs to paper towels to drain, arranging them upside down. Transfer to plates, turning them right side up, then top with spinach. Arrange oysters on top of spinach, lifting them out of sauce with a slotted spoon.
• Boil sauce until reduced to about 1/2 cup, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add butter, then chives, and swirl skillet until butter is incorporated. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over oysters.