Muscadet Meets European Flats or They Took My Oysters

I went down to our local seafood supplier on the weekend to pick up some oysters to take to a backyard party. For the first time in months, they had European Flats in stock. European flats are my favorites (Susan’s as well), and there were only a few left. Threw a dozen or so in a bag pronto before anyone else could grab them and made a call to Susan to say there was a few left – hopefully to save my butt for not sharing. A quick trip to my favorite wine shop to pick up a bottle of Chateau Chasseloir Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie – the perfect match for just about every type of oyster but especially good with European flats. So far so good.

This being a potluck, the hostess and host were wondering what I’d brought. Needless to say, since they’d never had these before, they got the first couple I shucked. Naturally, they also had to try the wine I’d brought with the oysters. There was some discussion about what a wonderful match the oysters and wine made.

Another couple were listening – two more oysters vanished. Now you have to appreciate European flats are like potato chips – you can’t just have one. It simply doesn’t work. So now there are four people eating oysters and drinking wine. Next thing I know, there are six gathered around the table where I’m shucking. I look down and there a two oysters left. That’s it, two left for me out of a dozen. The bottle of wine has one glass left – maybe. Total elapsed time – less than fifteen minutes.

Okay, one of the things I was counting on is that there usually aren’t a lot of people who eat raw oysters, so I’d probably have most of them for myself. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Went back the next day to get some more but there were none left. Nothing, nada, zip. Susan will probably think this is justice served.

Susan’s Note:

Yup. I’m trying to hide the snigger – but not too hard. What more need I say?

The Details You Need To Know:

The Wine: Chateau Chasseloir Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie. Lots of lemon and lemon peel with a tangy, mineral finish. Perfect raw oyster wine. Available in Vancouver at Marquis Wine Cellar for $19.95.

The Oysters: European Flats (ostera edulis) also known as Belons or French Plates. Slight copper color, sweet with a slight copper finish, with just a touch of brine. Somewhat rare in North America. When they’re available, we usually find them at The Lobsterman on Granville Island.

For a great reference book on everything to do with oysters check out The Hog Island Oyster Lover’s Cookbook published by Ten Speed Press that we reviewed in June. Available in Vancouver at Barbara Jo’s Books to Cooks or through Amazon.com.

Book Review: The Hog Island Oyster Lover’s Cookbook

Oyster lovers rejoice. There is a new book on the market that you should rush out to buy. Not next week, not even tomorrow – go and buy this book right now.

Written by Jairemaire Pomo, The Hog Island Oyster Lover’s Cookbook is a delightful romp through the world of oysters in general and Hog Island’s offerings in particular. Jairemaire has succeeded admirably in capturing the passion, enchantment, and mystic that have surround oysters throughout history. It’s an easy read that will probably make you laugh out loud at times.

The crowd is well-heeled, elegant, and mannered – that is until they spy the Hog Island Oyster bar. Women approach with flirtatious and seductive body language that suggests they’re going after a Calvin Klein underwear model. Men stand at the corners and surreptitiously snatch oysters from the ice. (Jairemaire’s description of a tony wine and food event in the Napa Valley)

But make no mistake, this 168-page volume is packed with information. From step-by-step instructions on safely shucking oysters with flair to a concise overview of the varieties, history, and even how to order oysters in a restaurant, once you’ve finished The Hog Island Oyster Lover’s Cookbook, you’ll be in oyster heaven.

Only one cautionary note. If, like both of us, you’re already an oyster aficionado, you will definitely be heading to your nearest supplier. There are 40 recipes for oysters – both raw and cooked. Oysters with cucumber, lime, and sake; oysters with lemon ice and caviar; oyster and shrimp gumbo; poached oysters with crème fraiche and caviar – okay, so we enjoy caviar almost as much as oysters. This is a problem?

What You Need to Know
Title: The Hog Island Oyster Lover’s Cookbook: A Guide to Choosing and Savoring Oysters, with 40 Recipes
Author: Jairemaire Pomo, also known as the self-appointed Empress of Oysters
Published: 2007 by Ten Speed Press
ISBN: 58008-735-3
Cost: $24.95 (Cdn)
Available in Vancouver, BC, at Barbara Jo’s Books to Cooks and other fine bookshops

Quirky Champagne Corkers

by Frank

The Australians have taken the alternate stopper gone too far! Crown caps on Champagne? The same crown caps that are on your six pack of Bud or Coors on a bottle of Cristal? Has the world gone mad?

No pop, no ceremony, and – worse yet – one more tool you have to carry: a beer bottle opener. Race car drivers will have to search through their uniform pockets uniforms after checkered flag falls at the 24-Hour Le Mans. Perhaps hockey victors will find what they need rattling around in the bottom of the Stanley Cup.

Imagine executives negotiating the final details of the big merger with a beer bottle opener waiting on the high gloss, oak boardroom table – I hope not. And think about opening the customary bottle of Mumm’s to toast your daughter and new son-in-law – just wait a minute, dear, while I pull out my plastic coated, dime store bottle opener.

I attempt to visualize how this scenario will work. White linens, elegant place setting, chilled Riedel flutes, oysters resting on their bed of salt… and opening the Veuve Clicquot with a bottle opener. This picture just does not work for me.

I admit you can do some damage opening a bottle of Champagne or any other sparkling wine. There is a danger of possibly breaking a fingernail or putting out someone’s eye. I’ve seen people crack windows and chip the chandelier. But, there is a natural thrill in correctly opening a bottle of your favourite bubbly, hearing the familiar pop that inevitably means a party or celebration. I suppose you could still sabre a bottle with a crown cap to create some festive aspect, some sense of “event” to go with your bottle of Taittinger.

We can only hope the Champagne houses do not follow this trend from “Down Under.” There are some bottles of wine that should always come with a cork, with some sense of event and social gathering attached to it. I am sure cork producers can carry on doing their research in avoiding cork taint and still leave our Champagne intact. They should be strongly encouraged to stay the course and save us all from this threat to civilization as I know it.

Susan’s Note:

I didn’t actually think this was the best time to engage in a conversation about Stelvin caps on our favourite bottle of Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, so I waited until initial horror of this whole Champagne cork situation wore off. As usual, I confess I’m somewhat more concerned with what the contents of my glass taste like than what kind of closing was used.

About an hour later, we opened a bottle of Veuve Clicquot – thankfully, with a cork that gave a delightful pop – Frank shucked us a few oysters, and we cruised around the web looking for more cork info.

There’s plenty out there, but if you really want to get into this whole question – that is of course risking life, limb, and bottle opener – here’s a site we discovered that you can have a lot of fun with. You’ll even get a certificate to become a Certified Cork Expert.


www.realcorkusa.com

For example, did you know that cork trees produce up to 20 harvests over the course of their lifetime? Or that the average lifespan of a tree is typically between 170 and 200 years? Portugal leads the way in cork production supplying over half of the world’s supply, followed by Spain, Algeria and Italy.

Let us know what you think of this great little resource. And in the meantime, I think I’ll keep one of those cutesy, artsy fartsy bottle openers – probably the one with the fake lava carving of some obscure Hawaiian god. I’d hate to actually have to go out and buy a dime store beer bottle opener. I’ll just keep this item of sacrilege shall we say “well hidden” – at least for now.