Recipes - September

Oyster soup with Kinsale mead served in individual bread cups

prep: 90mins; cook: 40mins (bread buns) 20mins (oyster soup); difficulty level: medium; serves 4 as main and 8 as starter

Ingredients for the Bread Buns

• 350ml warm water
• 500g strong white flour
• 70g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbps olive oil
• 1 tbsp cornmeal
• 1 egg white
• 1 tbsp water
• 7g dried yeast

Method

1. In large bowl dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy. About 10 min.
2. Add salt, oil and 2/3 of the flour to the yeast mixture. Beat well. Stir in remaining flour a small bit at a time, beating well with an electric mixer.
3. When the dough has pulled together scoop out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Lightly oil a large bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until it doubles in volume. 40 min approx.
4. Punch dough down (knock back) and divide into 4 or 8 equal portions depending on whether you make them as a starter (8) or main course (4). Shape each portion into equally sized round loafs. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets and sprinkle with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. 35 min approx.
5. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. In a small bowl beat together egg whites and 1 tablespoon of water and lightly brush the loaves with half the egg wash.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 15 min. Brush with remaining egg wash mixture for another 10-15 min until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.
7. To make bowls. Cut a half inch thick slice from the top of each loaf. Scoop out the centre leaving half inch thick shell. The bread shells are ready to be filled.

Ingredients for the Oyster Soup

• 12 oysters (shucked) and juice saved
• 2 shallots finely diced
• 3 slices smoked streaky bacon cut into thin slices (julienne)
• 30g butter
• 70ml dry mead. Kinsale mead works well (you can use Guinness instead)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed
• 4 sage leaves finely chopped
• 1 small bunch of flat parsley finely chopped
• 6 scallions or spring onions finely chopped
• 1 medium-sized potato cut into 1cm cubes
• 100ml fish stock
• 100ml chicken stock
• 150ml double cream
• pinch of nutmeg
• salt and pper to season

Method

1. In a thick base pot melt butter and sweet of shallots, garlic and sage on a low heat til the shallots go soft.
2. Add the slieces of smoked streaky bacon. Cook for a further 10mins.
3. Add the mead and juice from the oysters and reduce the liquor by half.
4. Add the fish and chicken stock and bring to the boil. At this point add the cubed potato and the pinch of nutmeg. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Stiring occasionally. Simmer for 10min approx until the potato cubes are soft but not brittle.
5. Add the cream and bring to the boil again. Reduce by one quarter. When the mixture thickens and would coat the back of your spoon add the scallions or spring onions, flat leaf parsley and lastly your oysters. Cook for a further two minutes. Season with the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
6. To assembly the dish put the bread bowls into the oven preheated to 150 degrees Celsius for about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and place on plates.

To serve

Carefully ladle in the oyster soup putting 3 oysters a serving in each bread bowl. Place the top of the bread loaf over the opening.

All that's left then is to eat it. Enjoy!

'Naked' Oyster

Just shuck your Natives or Gigas as shown in our video and enjoy them straight from the shell. Sprinkle a bit of lemon juice onto it if you like. YUM!