Oysters and Pearls

Soak the tapioca in 4 oz of milk for one hour. The book says to keep in a warm spot, I found that heating the milk first in the micro wave for 30 seconds helps.

I go over how to shuck the oysters in the video. Separate the oysters from the liquor. If there is a lot of sand, it will sink to the bottom as it sits. Next, separate the oyster belly from the frill. Keep any trim off to the side. Soak the oysters in cold water until it is time to cook them. This will remove any sand. Reserve the oyster and liquor in the fridge.

In a bowl, whisk 2 oz of cream to soft peaks. Reserve this in the fridge.

Strain and rinse the tapioca, discarding the milk. To a small pot, add the oyster trim, 3oz milk and cream, bring to a simmer. To a large pot, strain the milk/cream mixture, using a spatula to squeeze out all the liquid. Add in the tapioca and cook on medium low heat until it is able to form a trail, about 7-8 minutes. Continue cooking until it is tender in the center. This will take an additional 5-7 minutes and it should be able to stick to the back of a spoon. Set this in a warm spot.

Place the two egg yolks into a bowl with 15g oyster liquor. In the recipe, he calls for an ounce, but I found that it was too much liquid and it made it overly salty. Whisk this in the bowl, then set over a water bath on medium heat stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes. You will know the sabayon is done when it leaves ribbons while whisking.

Add the tapioca in with the sabayon, with a lot of black pepper, cream fraiche, whipped cream and salt if needed. Remember that the oysters and caviar are salty too. Evenly spoon this into four oven safe bowls, tapping the bottom to make it flat. These can be wrapped up and saved in the refrigerator or just kept at room temperature until it is time to bake.

To a pan, add in the vermouth, remaining oyster liquor, shallots and vinegar. Cook this till au sec, or almost dry. Add in your cubed cold butter, a little at a time until fully emulsified.

Place the bowls of tapioca on a sheet tray and into a 350 f oven until puffed. The book says to bake them for 4-5 minutes, for me it took 9 minutes at room temperature. I forgot to add the whipped cream in the recipe when I made it, which I am assuming helps it puff.

Drain and add in the oysters to the sauce, just too warm. Finish with the chives. Spoon two oysters onto the tapioca, and cover with sauce. Using two spoons of similar size and shape scoop the caviar back and forth until it is shaped, ideally with two points. Be sure to use stainless steal or plastic, metals like silver will leave a metallic taste.  Place this on the opposite side of the oysters.