by Lillith Black

Created on: August 27, 2009

It is very important to use fresh live oysters if possible. They have a much fresher flavor than canned ones. To choose them, always look for the oysters which have been stored cup-side down. If they are stored flat-side down, their juice will leak out and they will become dry. Some great types of oysters are Kumomoto (small and creamy), Blue Point (medium and a bit fuller flavor) and Moonstones (fat and fuller flavored). The old myth about only eating oysters in the months ending in 'R' is exactly that- a myth. It stemmed from the times when refrigeration wasn't the best, and oysters in the hotter weather couldn't be trusted.

The hardest part about cooking oysters is shucking them. You will need an oyster knife. They make the job safer and easier. After checking that the oyster is alive by making sure the shell is closed tightly (if it is open, tap it and if it is alive it will shut tightly), scrub the oyster under cool running water. Hold the oyster in one hand in a towel to avoid cutting your hand. You want to try to collect the oysters' juices in a container so that you can use them in a sauce later. You place the oyster flat-side up in your hand and insert your knife between the shells near the hinge. Twist the knife to detach then scrape the meat from the flat top shell into the curved bottom one. You will need to detach it from the bottom shell. Any recipe that you serve the oyster in-shell, use the bottom, curved shell to serve it.

Baked Oysters Pesto:

1 cup sun dried tomatoes

cup chopped garlic

1 cup walnuts

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh basil leaves

Oysters, of course

Aged cheese- Parmesan, Gruyre, Asiago, or similar finely shredded

Pre-heat oven to 400.

First, make a pesto. Here is a great recipe for a sun-dried tomato walnut pesto:

In your food processor, place 1 cup of sun dried tomatoes (rehydrate in water for one hour and then dry off with a towel), 1 cup of walnuts, 1/2 cup of chopped garlic, one half tsp black pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt. Turn on processor and as it blends the mix, add cup of grape seed oil (olive oil can be substituted).

Shuck your oysters (save the juices- we're making bisque later!)

Using a metal baking pan, fill it inch to an inch full of kosher salt (you can also use small pebbles). Place the oysters in the pan, cup shell side down and nestle them in the salt so that they don't tip over. Put tsp of the pesto on each oyster. Top the pesto with a large basil leaf and a tsp of cheese. Bake in the oven until the cheese

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