Rosie And Her Oysters!

Now, what do we have here?

I believe it's another oyster preparation.

You know the Hawthornes love their oysters,

so we're always trying to come up with

different toppings to accentuate the oyster.

We don't want to overpower the delicate, briny oyster.

We just want to accompany it with a few extra flavors.

And in the Hawthorne household,

you never know what those flavors are going to be.

 Toppings For My Oysters

 1/4 fennel bulb, roasted, chopped

extra virgin olive oil

1 TB chopped scallions

1 TB minced celery with fronds

2 TB chopped apple

1 orange, rind caramelized

grated Parmesan cheese

panko breadcrumbs

unsalted butter

Pour a little olive oil over the fennel,

roast over an open flame, cool, then chop

along with the scallion, celery, and apple.

Place some caramelized orange on each oyster (2 dozen).

Top each oyster with fennel mixture.

Give each a light grating of Parmesan cheese,

a sprinkling of panko, and a small pat of butter.

Under a 450° broiler for about 6-7 minutes,

until lightly browned.

You may want to turn oysters halfway through broil time.

Remove from oven and top with more caramelized orange.

(I put the first caramelized orange pieces underneath the toppings

so they wouldn't burn under the broiler.)

To caramelize orange rind,

 peel the rind off one orange, 

being careful to avoid the pith

(bitter white part),

then slice into thin strips.

Place in small saucepan,

cover with water,

bring to boil.

Pour off water and repeat twice.

Add juice of the orange, 1/2 cup cold water,

and 1 cup sugar to pan with orange peels.

Bring to boil, 

then simmer gently over very low heat,

 occasionally swirling pan,

 until peels are sticky and syrupy - about 20 minutes.

 I normally don't have fennel,

but sometimes one finds themselves with the odd vegetable.

I had 1/2 a fennel left over from one of Mr. Hawthorne's concoctions -

Pasta with Sausage Ragu.

He's so pleased with himself and this dish.

He's already made it 4 times

and tomorrow he wants to make it again

with his OWN HOMEMADE PASTA,

"because don't you think it would be better that way?"

Who is this man?

What have they done with Mr. Hawthorne?

Whomever he is, he can stay.

And stay tuned for his Sausage Ragu recipe.

You'll be quite happy with it!

I doused the fennel with a little extra virgin olive oil

and roasted it over an open flame.

Boil the orange peel.

3 times.

Add the sugar and orange juice.

Bring to boil,

then gently simmer.

When it gets syrupy like this,

take it off the heat.

Caramelization can go downhill in a heartbeat.

As in burn.

So don't become a statistic.

Not that I am.

Choppy-choppy the fennel, scallion, celery, and apple.

Write down directions as you go along.

Place a little caramelized orange on top of the oyster.

I wouldn't mind slurping this down just as is.

Top with a little of the fennel mixture,

sprinkle on the Parmesan and panko.

I put on the pat of butter halfway through cooking.

Almost forgot it.

450° broiler.

6-7 minutes.

Until lightly browned.

I love oysters.