The chef at a Breton hotel restaurant explains how to distinguish varieties, recognize the best, taste and match them
Christmas parties are an opportunity to bring to the table refined foods that we do not eat every day e little vices that we usually do not allow ourselves. Like the oysters, for example. Perfect for an aperitif in which you can exchange greetings with a glass of bubbles and to inaugurate the Christmas Eve dinner. Not to mention the months that, in English, contain the letter "R", like December, they are ideal for consuming them.
Delicacies from the ocean
Casanova called the oysters "the nectar of the Gods", but they were already loved by the palates of the Ancient Romans. Always accompanied by the reputation of being aphrodisiac, their taste is unmistakable. They are a delicate and easily perishable food, not to mention that they can be grown only in some very circumscribed areas, in the presence of waters with particular characteristics, as the Britain, one of the places where some of the finest qualities of these molluscs come from.
Oysters: how to choose and taste them
Here then that, directly from Brittany, Anthony Hardy, young and promising chef of the restaurant ofLogis Chateau de Sable hotel in Porspoder, which boasts among its collaborations that with Gordon Ramsay in Bordeaux, gives us some council to choose and taste them.
How to distinguish the varieties of oysters?
The element that presents the greatest differences is the texture, the sensation perceived in the mouth. Another fundamental aspect is clearly the taste: according to the variety, in fact, it is possible to identify more or less intense notes of iodine, or of hazelnut or, again, of algae. La Belon, for example, among the most highly rated and original of the Breton bay of Morlaix, has just this nuance of flavor.
How to choose the best ones?
A useful trick is to tap lightly on the surface of the shell: it must not "sound" empty, and the valves must absolutely be closed. Once opened, the mollusc must withdraw, if touched. In addition, it is necessary to consider the time of year: from September to April, in fact, oysters smell and taste particularly pleasant.
How should they be consumed?
They should be consumed naturally, without any addition.
How can they be combined?
However, if you want to experiment with a combination, a very simple option is to accompany them to a slice of bread with semi-skinned butter: this is a way to enhance the authenticity of the product.
An original idea to serve them in a dish?
You can dare, consuming them in tandem with beef. At the hotel restaurant, I propose them with a base of kig ha farz, a traditional Breton dish similar to boiled, with onion and buckwheat.
On the way of the oysters
Now that you know more, if you are fascinated by this product, but also by oceans and cliffs, you can take advantage of the Christmas holidays for leave for Brittany: to admire the views and taste the local specialties you can choose between lHotel Le Château de Sable, but also thehotel Spa La Butte, with a high-level restaurant and spa in Plouider, a small town overlooking the ocean in the Finistère department, literally "where the land ends" or, again, the hotel overlooking the sea Les Mouettes, which already in the name, "the seagulls", expresses the poetry of these places. In this area there is also Fouesnant, a village overlooking the homonymous, beautiful bay, with theBelle Vue hotel where hospitality is a real family matter, the same since 1919.
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