Baked Oysters With Savory Mushroom Herb Crust
By: Anonymous
Published: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 2:50am

Ingredients




2 cups hearty firm-textured bread cubes (packed), abt 5 oz
1 cup coarsely-chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup coarsely-chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons cold butter cut small pieces
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
2 inches doz medium oysters  shell (about 3 ½" long)

Preparation

1 Put the bread cubes and mushrooms in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the remaining ingredients, except the oysters, and process until the particles are well chopped and pea-like in texture, about 30 seconds. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. 2 Shuck the oysters, cutting the muscle but leaving the oyster in the deep cupped shell. Cover each oyster loosely with 1 rounded tablespoon of the breadcrumb-mushroom mixture, coating the entire surface of the oyster. 3 Arrange the oysters on a baking sheet and place on the middle shelf of the oven. (A thin layer of rock salt on the baking sheet will help the oysters to stay upright.) 4 Bake until the topping is golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Watch the time and the oysters carefully - they can overcook and dry out quickly. Serve immediately. 5 This recipe yields 4 to 8 servings. 6 Comments: This simple topping gets its wonderful earthy flavor from mushrooms, herbs and cheese, making it a perfect finish for baked oysters. Italian- or French-style hearty-textured bread - preferably a day old - will produce the desired crumb consistency; avoid soft, airy loaves.