Category: cooking tips

Easy Open Oysters!

Published on by Melissa TrainerLeave a comment

England and Food 09 501 (2)

If you plan on serving oysters over the holiday weekend, then you might seriously consider this simple barbecue method which avoids the tedious task of wrestling and shucking.

By placing the oysters over gentle heat on the grill, the oysters open their shells and can easily be brushed with a little garlic butter. We often use this method when we are camping out at the Washington Coast or on the Olympic Peninsula, where fresh local oysters are abundant and can often be purchased directly from the growers.

Our campground method requires a little improvisation because we are cooking over an open fire and we can’t close the grill lid. Nonetheless, the oysters taste particularly awesome when made that way.

I originally gleaned this recipe from Tim Salo, who owns Puget Beach Shellfish in Olympia, Wash.

Barbecued Oysters
Servings: 6 appetizers, 2 main courses

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

12 medium oysters

Preheat grill to medium high.

In a small bowl stir together the melted butter and chopped garlic. Set aside.

Place the oysters, cup-side (larger shell) down, on the grill. Close the grill and cook 4 to 5 minutes. The oysters will start to open. The shells’ fragile edges may sputter and snap, so beware.

Once the shells have opened, carefully remove the top shell, trying not to spill the juices inside. Gently brush the oysters with the garlic butter, then grill for another 2 minutes.

For Pearfect Pears, Check the Neck!

Published on by Melissa TrainerLeave a comment

Check the Neck Pear

As we shift from the luscious berries of summer into the more robust fruits of fall, I’d like to put in a plug for the humble pear. I know many folks favor apples at this time of year. I certainly serve a lot of them at my house. Nonetheless, there is something delightfully earthy and comforting about a pear.  They taste great on their own. They are flavorful and elegant with cheese. They work great in cozy homey desserts like tarts, crumbles, and cobblers.  They can, however, be tricky to judge for ripeness.

Have you ever bought a pear, carted it home, sliced it open and found it to be rock hard and taste less? Or, have you sliced it open only to find that it has gone bad from the inside out? Well, thanks to USA Pears, which is the Pear Bureau Northwest, I learned to tackle those problems a few years ago. On their website, they feature a tricky and successful method for checking a pear for ripeness. You simply “Check the Neck.”  To do so, you simply apply gentle pressure to the neck of the pear with your thumb. If it yields to pressure, it’s ripe and you are good to go!

Cool Tip for Leftover Citrus

Published on by Melissa TrainerLeave a comment

Frozen CitrusLeftovers. Not exactly exciting but a fact of life. And…sometimes the best source of innovation.

A few weeks ago we had a party and my husband had segmented lemons and limes for cocktails. The next morning we had quite a few left but the pieces weren’t really suitable for cooking. They were too small to  work with.  I couldn’t squeeze much out of them and zesting them would have been a tedious task at best.

Rather than throw them out, I decided to just chuck the lemons and limes in a baggie and toss them in the freezer. At the time, i didn’t think too much about it.  I just figured they’d come in handy.

Well, last week I decided to spontaneously add a few of the frozen sections to my Hydro Flask in the morning. Wow! The results were spectacular. The frozen lemons and limes naturally chilled the water like ice and the aromatic oils from the citrus naturally flavored the concoction.

I love this tip and plan to use it often now that summer is here!