Angel Hair Pasta with Oyster Butter Cream Sauce and Caviar

Recipe Courtesy of chef Lee Chizmar of Bolete Restaurant

Ingredients:

Oyster Butter

• ½ # unsalted butter
• 5 ea oysters freshly sucked with liquor (juice of the oyster)
• 1 shallot julienne
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• ½ tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz warm water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Brown the butter in a heavy bottom sauce pot.
2. Once the butter is brown, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. Add the thyme and shallots to the butter slowly.
4. Be careful if the butter is to hot it will boil over when the other ingredients are added.
5. Next place the oysters with their liquor, lemon juice, and water into a blender.
6. Turn the blender on a medium setting.
7. Once the mixture is pureed, begin to slowly pour the butter (with the shallot and thyme), into the blender while it is running, in a thin stream, emulsifying the butter into the oysters.
8. At this point adjust the seasoning and cool in the refrigerator uncovered.
9. Will hold up to 4 days in the refrigerator, cover once cool.

Angel hair pasta and Island Creek Oyster (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 12 each island creek oysters
• 1 tsp of unsalted butter
• 1 garlic scape sliced thin (replace with 1 clove of garlic if scapes are not available)
• 3 slices of bacon, diced small and rendered out until golden brown
• 2 shallot julienned
• 4 oz of sautéed oyster mushrooms
• 1 tbsp of minced parsley
• 1 tbsp of sliced chives
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 4 oz  of heavy cream
• 2 oz of oyster butter
• 8 oz of black angel hair pasta

Directions:

1. In a medium sauté pan melt the tsp of unsalted butter, over medium heat.
2. Next sauté the shallots, garlic scape, oyster mushrooms, and bacon, until the shallots are tender and trancelucent.
3. Once the shallots have cooked down add the cream and reduce by half.
4. Next add the oyster with the oyster liquor.
5. Simmer gently until the liquid and the cream begin to thicken up.
6. At this point remove the pan form the heat, when it stops simmering stir the oyster butter into the sauce.
7. Next add the lemon juice and the herbs.  Adjust the seasoning and the sauce is ready to serve.
8. Cook the pasta in salted boilng water until tender, should take about 2 mins.
9. Toss the cooked pasta with olive oil and divide into 4 portions.
10. Spoon the sauce over each of the pasta making sure to each portion has 3 oysters. Serve