Oysters Mornay

Ingredients

• 40g unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup (40g) plain flour
• 2 cups (500ml) milk – start with up to 400ml and add the last 100ml if it needs to be thinner
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tbsp sherry
• 40g grated Parmesan
• Optional - 1 egg lightly beaten, or just the yolk – the yolk adds a richness to the sauce and the white adds a puffiness when it cooks which can be delicious
• To prepare -
• Panko Crumbs
• Grated cheddar cheese, or pizza blend is good
• Unsalted butter – ½ tsp per oyster
• Fresh pepper
• To serve-
• Lemon wedges
• Tabasco sauce
• Oyster forks or spoons
• As noted above you can make the sauce a few days in advance, or months in advance, and store in the fridge or freezer (defrost overnight the day before). The ratio for the butter and flour is 1:1, how much you start with at this stage, will affect how much milk you need, and therefore how much sauce you would like to make – i.e. to make more for a lasagna.
• The Davies approach to this dish begins with the Béchamel sauce – we aim to make a white sauce, well-seasoned and fragrant with nutmeg, a hint of sherry, plus the bite of cheese from the parmesan – we do not add cheddar or any melting, stringy cheese in the sauce, we keep the sauce light. The cheesiness is all in the crunchy topping, then the smooth creaminess of the white sauce to round off the oyster.
• Béchamel Sauce - Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat until foaming. Add the flour and cook for 1 – 2 minutes to “cook out” the flour. You are looking to make a thick paste (called a “roux”) that has been cooked together until well mixed and smooth.
• Gradually whisk in the milk, starting with 150ml or so - whisk well to remove any lumps and mix until smooth before adding more milk. You will need to adjust the temperature as you go here to blend in the milk evenly – remove from the heat if you feel its bubbling too much and needs to cool quickly etc. After 400ml has been added, you can add the nutmeg, sherry and parmesan and a good pinch of salt, plus lots of pepper. Return to the heat and stir constantly while it simmers and thickens for a few minutes. Add the last 100ml of milk if the mixture feels too thick and reduce the heat and simmer for a further minute. Taste the sauce at this stage – check if it needs more sherry, nutmeg, seasoning etc. It often needs tweaking depending on how strong or salty the parmesan is,
• Optional - if you would like to add the egg/yolk, remove from the heat and when the bubbles subside, whisk in the egg quickly.
• Cover the sauce with some baking paper cut to fit (aka “cartouche”) to let it cool – this acts as a lid that lets the steam escape but prevents the top of the sauce forming a skin while it cools.
• Grilling the oysters - Turn the grill onto high to warm up, you then need to make the effort to lay the oysters carefully on the oven tray where they are facing upwards to hold as much sauce as possible, lean on another oyster if necessary, to stay in this position and not tip over – treat it like a puzzle for a moment and set them out well. If you have spare rock salt place a layer on the tray to hold the oysters neatly upright.
• Pictured: Oysters Mornay Ready for Grilling
• Spoon as much béchamel into each oyster without it spilling out, top with a generous amount of grated cheese, cover with panko crumbs, a dot of butter, and a grind of pepper.