Thanksgiving in my family, for as long as I can remember, has meant oysters. Our meal always starts with Oyster Stew which my mom makes at the very last second while everyone is getting seated. Every year, no matter where we are, we request Oyster Stew (or Bisque as my mom calls it) and, no matter where we are, she tracks down the ingredients and prepares it.
She follows a very simple recipe of oysters and their liquor, butter, light cream, salt, pepper, and a sprinkling of fresh parsley. (The photo is similar but we don't top ours with oyster crackers.) Once the stew is devoured, the soup bowls are cleared and then it's on with the rest of the meal.
In recent years, I've been making a Southern-style Oyster Pie as well. It's one of the side dishes included in our Thanksgiving meal. I follow Martha Stewart's recipe because it is sheer perfection in a pie dish. It's deliciously rich and one 9-inch pie can easily serve 12 people.
I don't what it is about Thanksgiving and oysters, but for me, they go hand-in-hand. From stew to pie, oysters are my favorite part of our meal. That and the champagne to go with, of course!
I'll be blogging my memories (recipes included, of course!) for the next week. I'd love it if you'd share yours!
This caught my eye....in my mothers family, they eat Oyster stew or bisque for Christmas eve. Our family didn't carry on this tradition b/c no one likes oysters but my mom!
Posted by: Deb | November 17, 2006 at 08:51 PM