If the dinner I had last night sounds like something you'd see served up on a fine restaurant menu, good - that's exactly what I was going for. However, fancy as it may sound, my meal took only 15 minutes to prepare, cost very little (although I admittedly had some of the ingredients in stock and didn't factor these into the price), and the results were delicious!
The Island Creek oysters were $1 each. Considering that a half-dozen oysters generally costs between $10-20 at a restaurant, that oyster shucking lesson I had last weekend paid for itself! Oh wait - it was free. Even better! Any oyster lover should learn to shuck (shall I insert "go shuck yourself" joke here?).
So what is "Oysters Camelot," you may ask? Here's the story behind the dish - while watching an episode of "Top Chef D.C." in which the contestants' challenge was to create a cold dish and serve it to the judges on the Presidential Yacht ("Think of the Kennedys," Judge Gail Simmons instructed the cheftestants), I decided that if I was a contestant, I'd serve oysters on the half shell. But how would I make it interesting and relevant? By serving them with an out-of-the-ordinary sauce based on our most famous political family, the Kennedys. I used a little malt vinegar and Jameson whiskey to add a taste of Ireland and to honor Joe Kennedy's days as a bootlegger, seasoned with finely minced shallot.
I combined the vinegar, whiskey, and shallot in a small bowl and spooned a few drops over each opened oyster, and voila! Not only did I discover a delicious way to serve oysters, I had enough left over to use as a marinade for my salmon, which I simply baked at 425 for 10 minutes alongside my truffle fries.
Truffle fries - delicious, decadent, demystified. A small bottle of black truffle oil and a jar of truffle salt is all you need to create these tasty treats at home. Truffle oil usually costs between $5-15 per bottle, but since each drop contains massive blasts of flavor, you don't need much. It will pay for itself over time, as it keeps well. A jar of truffle salt will probably cost between $5-10, and the same principle applies. The flavor-to-volume ratio is stacked in your favor. The real way to make truffle fries is to slice a few russet potatoes lengthwise into thick strips, toss them with olive oil, and bake for 40 minutes in a 450-degree oven. As soon as you take them out of the oven, sprinkle them with a few drops of truffle oil and a few pinches of truffle salt, shake them up in a basket or bowl to distribute the seasonings, and serve piping hot. The time-saving way is to buy a premium brand of frozen French fries (
Alexia Foods is my favorite brand - no trans fats, no artificial flavors, and no preservatives), bake according to instructions, and then season with the truffle oil and truffle salt as instructed above.
So there you have it - Dom Perignon flavors on a Franzia budget.
Croí follain agus gob fliuch!
