Dressed Buttermilk Oysters
Ingredients
- 1 cup cultured buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons pink peppercorns, cracked
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 dill sprigs
- 2 thyme springs
- 2 lemon peels
- Oysters, your choice, shucked
- Cucumber relish, recipe follows
- Dill oil, recipe follows
Preparation
Combine buttermilk, peppercorns, salt, dill, thyme and lemon peels in a sealable plastic bag and refrigerate at least 24 hours or up to three days. Strain solids and correct seasonings.
Dress each oyster with a teaspoon of seasoned buttermilk, a few drops of dill oil and a small quenelle of the cucumber relish.
To make the cucumber relish: Combine 1 cup fine-diced cucumber with 1 ounce red wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon chopped dill and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.
To make the dill oil: Combine 1 cup dill and 1 cup oil in high-speed blender; puree on high for a few minutes; strain with finemesh strainer, then a coffee filter.
Chef Daniel Gorman, Henley, Nashville, Tennessee, from Food Fanatics Magazine