Thanksgiving

The House will be closed on Monday, October 12th so the Crew can spend time being thankful. We’ll be back again on Tuesday at 11:30 am sharp!

World Shucking Championships update – Eamon Clark placed third at this year’s event (top 3 two years in a row, but the Winner’s Plate still proving elusive under the hard-to-figure-out “Presentation” bonus scoring the Irish use in their judging).  Still, congrats to Estonia for the repeat win.

For your Thanksgiving meal, here’s a recipe for making Oyster Stuffing, courtesy of the Washington Post:

OYSTER STUFFING:

Note: Due to the perishability of the oysters, do not make the stuffing more than a day in advance. Keep it refrigerated, tightly covered with plastic wrap. Add 10 minutes to the baking time if the stuffing is baked in a casserole, or bring the stuffing to room temperature before stuffing the turkey prior to roasting.

SERVINGS: 12
INGREDIENTS
  • 8 ounces stale French baguette, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • Nonstick cooking oil spray
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 6 stalks celery, trimmed and cut crosswise into thin slices
  • 2 large onion, cut into small dice
  • 1 large carrot, cut into small dice
  • 1 pint shucked fresh oysters with their liquor
  • 1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon leaves (may substitute 1 teaspoon dried tarragon)
  • 2 teaspoons thyme leaves (may substitute 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves)
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted, canned broth)
  • Pinch freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread the stale bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet, and spray them lightly with nonstick cooking oil spray. Bake on the middle oven rack for 10 to 15 minutes, turning them after 5 minutes, or until the cubes are toasted. Remove and allow to cool to room temperature before storing in a resealable plastic food storage bag.

If the stuffing is to be baked separately, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the celery, onions and carrot and cook for at least 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables haven softened. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Add the oysters and their liquor, the broth, herbs, parsley, salt (if using) and pepper; toss to mix well, then transfer to a casserole or use the mixture to stuff a turkey immediately before it is to be roasted.

Bake the stuffing in the separate casserole dish for 1 hour. Serve warm.

What a versatile beast, the Oyster. Happy Thanksgiving, from Rodney and the Crew.

Rodney's-To-Go Oyster Basket