Recipe: Poached oysters with pomegranate sauce vierge by FERRANDI Paris

The prestigious Ferrandi culinary school in Paris is back with its latest culinary bible, Fruits and Nuts: Recipes and Techniques from The Ferrandi School of Culinary Arts. Learn how to make a wide variety of sweet and savoury dishes with fruit and nuts in this thorough guide. It’s written by the expert teaching team of master chefs at Ferrandi but perfectly adapted for the home cook looking to expand their repertoire. This delightful oyster dish will make a great impression at your next dinner party.

Serves 5 

Active time: 30 minutes 

Marinating time: 2 hours 

Cooking time: 2 minutes 

Storage: Up to 12 hours in the refrigerator 

EQUIPMENT 

Instant-read thermometer 

INGREDIENTS 

Pomegranate sauce vierge 

1¼ oz. (35 g) Granny Smith apple 

3½ oz. (100 g) Muscat grapes 

1 pomegranate 

1 tbsp (10 g) goji berries 

4 tsp (20 ml) lime juice 

Generous ¼ cup (65 ml) pomegranate juice 

2½ tsp (12 ml) pumpkin seed oil 

2½ tsp (12 ml) olive oil 

Scant ½ tsp (2 g) fine salt 

½ tsp (1 g) ground black Sarawak pepper 

Oysters 

5 oysters, preferably Fine de Claire 

To serve 

2½ tbsp (10 g) thinly sliced spring onion 

Coarse sea salt 

Olive oil 

Persinette cress and red-veined sorrel leaves 

METHOD 

PREPARING THE POMEGRANATE SAUCE VIERGE 

Peel the apple, cut it into 2mm dice (brunoise), and place in a large bowl. Peel the grapes, remove the seeds, and cut each into eight pieces. Add to the apple. Peel the pomegranate, remove the seeds, and add 75g to the apple and grapes. Add the remaining sauce vierge ingredients and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, as necessary. Cover and let marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. 

PREPARING THE OYSTERS 

Preheat the oven to 100°C/Gas Mark ¼ on steam setting, if available. Place the oysters on a baking sheet and bake until their shells open (about 1¾ minutes). If you do not have a steam oven, open them using an oyster knife (see Chefs’ Notes). As soon as the oysters are open, remove them from their shells and place in a saucepan with their liquor. Save the five rounded bottom shells, discarding the flat top shells. Warm the liquor to about 149°F (65°C) so the oysters poach. As soon as their edges begin to curl, remove the oysters from the heat. Let cool in their liquor, then chill until serving. 

TO SERVE 

Wash the bottom oyster shells in hot water and dry them thoroughly. Stir the spring onion into the pomegranate sauce vierge and spoon a little into each shell. Drain the oysters and place on the sauce. Make a mound of coarse salt on each serving plate and nestle the oyster shells into it. Drizzle with a little olive oil and garnish with cress and sorrel leaves. 

CHEFS’ NOTES 

To open oysters in the traditional way, wrap a dish towel over one hand for protection. Place an oyster, rounded shell down, on a board, and press down firmly to hold the oyster in place. Using an oyster shucking knife, which has a short, thick, pointed blade that will not break under pressure, place the tip of the knife at the base of the “hinge.” Twist the tip of the knife firmly to work it between the two shells, then lever the blade upwards or twist it to break open the “hinge.” Slide the knife under the top shell to remove it and release the oyster. 

Extracted from Fruits and Nuts: Recipes and Techniques from The Ferrandi School of Culinary Arts by FERRANDI Paris (£24.95, Flammarion).