Chef Becky Selengut's recipe for succulent Pan-Seared Oysters with Grapefruit Sabayon

December 13, 10:05 AMSeattle Food ExaminerTraca Savadogo

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Cornucopia's Chef Becky Selengut



Private chef, writer, cookbook author, and advocate in the sustainable food movement, Becky Selengut's influence on the Northwest culinary landscape runs deep.  After cooking for several years at the Herbfarm, Becky's style reflects recipes that are in tune with the season, allowing the ingredients to take center stage. A private chef for hire, she cooks with the seasons for families, intimate dinner parties, and private classes under the banner of Cornucopia.

Look for Becky's articles in Seattle Homes & Lifestyles magazine, and a collection of her recipes can be found in Washington Local and Seasonal Cookbook.  Her website, Seasonal Cornucopia, is a resource used by cooks throughout the city and her hilarious blog, Chef Reinvented, is destined for a book deal.  It's only a matter of time before we'll all be saying, “I knew her when....”

Lucky for us, Becky's shared a fabulous recipe for the holidays.  Her pan-seared oysters with grapefruit sabayon is exactly what drew me to her teaching at PCC.  Becky's recipes are seasonal, easy to prepare, and deliver high on the "wow" factor.

Pan-Seared Oysters With Grapefruit Sabayon

Serves 4

I love oysters and will never forget the very first raw one I tried, tentatively, a bit scared, but also exhilarated. Before I took the leap to raw oysters I readily ate pan-seared oysters like these. I enjoy serving this oyster dish around the holidays, just after my dad has sent me my annual gift of grapefruits from near his house in Florida. Life is good when you have a glass of sparkling wine in one hand and an oyster in the other.

Ingredients


2 dozen Local oysters, Pacifics, Virginicas -- shucked, liquor and bottom shells saved
1  Lemon -- zest
3 Ruby Red Grapefruit -- 1, juiced - you need enough juice to equal 1/2 cup, the other cut into segments and then small-diced
4 shakes Tabasco -- or more, to taste
Salt -- to taste
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons Oil or clarified butter
2 tablespoons Chives -- chopped for garnish
Rock salt -- as needed 

Instructions

Strain oyster liquor.  Add 1/4 cup of liquor (drink the rest!) to a wide bowl along with the lemon zest, grapefruit juice, Tabasco, salt and egg yolks. Whisk well and set aside.

Line a platter with rock salt and place cleaned oyster bottoms on top of salt.

Heat a sauté pan over high heat. Add 2 Tablespoons canola, grapeseed oil, or clarified butter. When pan is very hot, sear oysters for only 30 seconds per side, until lightly browned.  Remove to a paper-towel lined plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

In a medium pot, bring  3 inches of water to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and place the bowl with the juice/yolk mixture over the steaming water. Whisk constantly over the heat until it thickens and foams, about 5 minutes.  Make sure to whisk all around so everything gets evenly heated. You also want to whisk to get air into the sauce.  When the mixture has thickened up a bit and is nice and frothy and has increased in volume by at least 1/2, turn off the heat and keep sauce over the bowl until ready to serve. This sauce should only be held for 10-15 minutes before serving so you don't lose the volume and texture.

Place oysters back in shells. Spoon a scant bit of sauce over each oyster. Garnish with pieces of grapefruit and some chives. Serve immediately.

Recipe Courtesy of Becky Selengut

Cornucopia, www.CornucopiaCuisine.com