Makes 11 Cups
1 quart oysters in “liquor”
Ice water
1 stick unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup celery finely chopped
1 cup white onion, finely chopped
½ cup small button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cups heavy cream
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ pound brie cheese or any soft triple-cream cheese, like St. Andre’, with rind removed
½ cup dry (drinkable) white wine
¾ cup green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
Generous dash of LuLu’s Perfect Pepper Sauce or any “medium-hot” hot sauce (optional)
1. Drain oysters and refrigerate until ready to use. Reserve liquor and add enough ice water to yield 3 cups of liquid. Set aside.
2. In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat until it is just sizzling. (It is important not to let the butter brown at all.)
3. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add celery, onions, and mushrooms and continue to sauté until they are soft.
5. Add oyster liquor-water mixture, then heavy cream. Do not add heavy cream first or it might scorch.
6. Add salt, white pepper and cayenne. Cook for about 5 minutes or until stew is just about to boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Continue simmering for another 5 minutes.
7. Add cheese and wine stirring constantly until cheese is melted.
8. Add oysters and green onions. Cover and continue to cook until edges of oysters curl, about 2-3 minutes.
9. Add parsley and hot sauce. Adjust seasonings and serve immediately.
LuLu Clue: When we counted out a quart of oysters at the restaurant, it yielded 39 oysters and 2 cups of liquor. Of course, this is all dependent upon the size of the oysters. I favor the smaller ones and if they are really salty, you might not want to add the salt until the end when you adjust the seasonings. I don’t use milk as my liquid as many oyster stew recipes do because it can curdle and when that happens, it ruins the dish.
