Oysters au gratin

Preparation – 20 minutes

Peel the shallot and chop it as finely as possible.

Open the oysters; the best way to do this is to lay the oyster flat side up in a tea towel. Take an oyster knife and place it between the two sides of the shell and pry a few times from top to bottom until the flat side of the oyster comes loose. Cut the oyster loose from the attachment of the bottom shell.

Make sure the oysters are loose, you can check this by turning the oyster in its shell. Strain the liquid into a small bowl.

Place the liquid, along with the shallot, white wine and the juice of half a lemon in a small saucepan.

Heat the pan, and let the sauce gently thicken for a few minutes. As soon as the sauce has reduced sufficiently, turn down the heat and add the cream, little by little, while stirring with a whisk.

Continue to gently reduce to produce a nice, thick sauce.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius or 390 fahrenheit.

Finishing the oysters – 10 minutes

Place the oysters on an oven plate and pour a little sauce over each of them. Sprinkle a little salt and black pepper over the oysters and top with a layer of breadcrumbs.

Heat the grill of the oven and place the oysters under it. Cook the oysters for a few minutes, but not too long, otherwise they will become tough.

Garnish with parsley, if desired, and serve immediately. Enjoy!