I hate to admit it, but my summertime reading consists of the local newspaper (if it hasn't been soaked by the sprinkler) and celebrity mags. Come fall and winter, when it's pitch dark by 5:30p, I pick up the scope a bit. I pulled out my oyster books last week to find some recipes for an upcoming post, and thought that Oyster Stew readers may be interested in a few.For this post, I've chosen a wide range of oyster tomes. Some are history books, some are cookbooks, some are both. One is a documentary. Two are guide books. I even threw in a couple of children's stories. All of them evoke a passion for oysters. With each book, I've also made suggestions about who may be interested in the book. The holidays are coming soon.
Cozy up this week with a good book - and a bowl of oyster and brie soup. Enjoy!
OYSTER BOOKS TO START YOUR LIBRARY
Author: Erin Byers Murray
I have a girl-crush on Erin Byers Murray. I read this book for the umpteenth time this week and, as always, I found another bit of humor or wisdom. Shucked is the true story of Murray's year long "sabbatical" from her supercool job as an editor at dailycandy.com to work 12+ hours a day on the Island Creek Oyster farm. She actually did what many oyster lovers dream about and, in the process, reminds us just how much labor and love goes into growing oysters. She doesn't sugar coat the people or the process, but Murray always respects the oyster. From oyster "poop," to culling (which she calls "looking for ones with potential,") to the immense stress of raising baby spat, Shucked is a front row seat to her brutal, spiritual, rewarding oyster journey.
Oyster Culture
Authors: Gwendolyn Meyer and Doreen Schmid
Oyster Culture is oyster porn. The photographs by Gwendolyn Meyer are stunning, rhythmic - and evoke all the senses. I swear I can smell the mud and the brackish water wafting from the pages. The book is an easy read about oyster farming and oyster eating - the oyster culture - around Marin in Northern California. But really, it's all about the photos. Bonus section: must-have recipes from Marin-area restaurants (including the Marshall Store and Nick's Cove). Great coffee table book and oyster gift.
Sex, Death & Oysters: A Half-Shell Lover's World Tour
Author: Robb Walsh
From oyster porn, to sex and death. This book reminds me in spirit of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love. James Beard Award-winning author Robb Walsh is not your typical food writer. He masks the sometimes murky world of oyster farming with potty humor and brilliant insights that you don't appreciate until four chapters later. The food is not the end game - the journey is. He travelled across the U.S. and to Europe to unveil the business and culture of oyster farming and the oyster market. He definitely knocks the innocence out of oyster culture. This book is great for travelers and arm chair adventurers.
A Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur's Guide to Oyster Eating in North America
Author: Rowan Jacobsen
My copy of A Geography of Oysters is dog-earred, ripped, curled, and highlighted. Rowan Jacobsen, who describes himself as a semi-professional oyster taster, is a pioneer in the oyster merrior business. Others have described oysters as having hints of melon or a slight metallic taste, but Jacobsen was really the first to seek out every oyster he could find and describe them as religiously and respectfully as a wine sommelier. Despite the high brow talent, you get the sense that his favorite place to be is at the oyster bar, sharing a dozen oysters and a pint of beer. We appreciate Jacobsen's early support of Oyster Stew. This is the first book you need in your oyster library.
Author: Mark Kurlansky
Finally, the oyster gets her due. Mark Kurlansky recounts the history of New York City as inextricably linked to the oyster. From Pearl Street to the Hudson, the New York Time best-selling author places the discovery and growth of NYC on the very solid, capable shoulders of the lowly oyster. The Big Oyster is not a breezy read, but it's written carefully by a gifted writer. A fascinating book for native New Yorkers and history lovers.
Author: Drew Smith
"The oyster is older than us. Older than grass," begins author Drew Smith, who's book quite literally starts at the beginning of time. Where would the world be without oysters? Smith knits a complex history of oysters, and their influence on human migration, colonization, water quality, art, kingdoms and much more. He gives us the good, the bad and the ugly when people and oysters collide. I promise this book delivers stories, insights and oyster facts you never knew about. Suggest that everyone coming to your Thanksgiving read it before dinner. Then discuss. Great book for the non-oyster lover in your family.
Author: Eleanor Clark
I was turned onto this book by none other than Erin Byers Murray who described it as a "poetic and bewitching story." And with a forward by The Big Oyster's Mark Kurlansky, the late Eleanor Clark is feeling the post-humous love from her fraternity of oyster authors. Much like Murray's account of oyster farming in New England, Clark describes how French Belon oysters are cultivated in the tiny town of Locmariaquer, affecting the people and culture in fascinating ways. She weaves French history with personal and often tragic stories about the gypsies and oyster people who eek out a living raising baby oysters, only to ship them off to more suitable estuaries to grow up. A gentle read for the romantics among us.
Author: MFK Fisher
The late Mary Frances Kennedy (M.F.K.) Fisher was an original. Everything she did, she did with unbridled passion. Written in 1941, Consider the Oyster was not and is still not like any oyster book I've ever read. Fisher not only loved oysters, she LOVED oysters (if you know what I mean). And she took great, tedious pains to defend classic oyster dishes. As an oyster appreciator myself, I'm honored that she chose to write about them. To really get Fisher and this book, I would suggest reading Poet of the Appetites: The Lives and Loves of M.F.K. Fisher written by Joan Reardon. Downton Abbey addicts will love this quick read.
Author: Jeffrey B. Snyder
THE reference book for anyone who collects or who is thinking abtou collecting oyster plates. From the first days during the frivolous Victorian era, oyster plats have become a luxury for those who use them and a treasure for those who collect them. Collecting Oyster Plates includes manufacturers and their marks, materials used, and market value.
OYSTER COOKBOOKS
Oysters on the half shell - no sauce - is my favorite oyster prep. But it's nice to mix it up sometimes. Here's a list of some of my favorite cookbooks that celebrate the oyster.
The Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant Cookbook
Authors: Sandy Ingher with Roy Finamore
Union Oyster House CookbookAuthors: Jean Kerr and Spencer Smith
When the late Sen. Ted Kennedy writes a forward to your cookbook, you know you are a pillar of Boston history. The Union Oyster House Cookbook is both history book about the oldest restaurant in the country and a cookbook. No doubt, the recipes haven't changed much - Lobster Thermidor and New England Seafood Pie anyone? And as Sen. Kennedy writes, the food will "always be a little tastier, though, when they're served in the unique atmosphere of the Oyster House itself." You can't cook up atmosphere in your home kitchen, but you can master a few classics such as cornbread and New England baked beans. Oyster Stew visited Union Oyster House in Season 1 and found a gem of history we should all be grateful is still cooking.
The Hog Island Oyster Lover's CookbookAuthor: Jairemarie Pomo
This is a sweet book that includes a snappy history lesson about the beloved Hog Island Oysters. The book also includes some references to oyster bars, the most common oyster brands sold in restaurants, and other oyster resources. The info is a little dated, but the real meat of the book is the list of yummy and offbeat recipes, including Oysters with Cucumber, Lime & Sake; Steamed Oysters with Spicy Asian Sauce; Hangtown Fry (eggs, bacon, sriracha and oysters); and of course, the famous Hog Island Barbecued Oysters.
The P&J Oyster Cookbook
Authors: Kit Wohl & the Sunseri Family
Featuring Lousiana oysters fron P&J Oyster Company, this cookbook is a taste sensation for anyone who wants to try new flavor combinations. Using ubiquitous Gulf oysters, this cookbook is brimming with oyster recipes you'll want to share. Check out the to-die for recipe for Oyster and Brie Soup at the end of this post.
KIDS BOOKS
Not to be left out, I have two favorite children's books about oysters. Both are fiction stories that capture the childish spirit of the oyster. It's never too early to find new oyster lovers. (To be safe, young kids shouldn't eat raw oysters.)
The Walrus and the CarpenterAuthor: Lewis Carroll, Illustrator: Jane Breskin Zalben
Perhaps the most well-known poem about oysters, The Walrus and the Carpenter is a clever, nonsense poem from the brilliant Lewis Carroll. The poem warns about ignoring the wisdom of elders, and about the perils of instant gratification. It also asks an important moral question: is the Walrus more wrong because he tried to hide how many oysters he ate or is the Carpenter more wrong because he ate as many oysters as he could? The illustrations of oysters dressed in hats and tiny little shoes are precious - and eerily foreboding. Check out the Oyster Stew blog post from Season 1 about Lewis Carroll.
Author: Johnette Downing, Illustrator: Bethanne Hill
Did you ever wonder why oysters create pearls? Why not diamonds or rubies or sapphires? Why the Oyster has the Pearl is a familiar folk story about a generous oyster and a sly snake that forever change the history of gems. We all know at Oyster Stew that oysters have emotions, illustrator Bethanne Hill brings those feelings to life.
I found a lot of great recipes while re-reading my favorite oyster books. This one from P&J's Oyster Cookbook for oyster and brie soup is stupid good - and incredibly decadent. The Sunseri family offers a few more gems on oysterlover.com. Bon Appetit!
P&J's Oyster and Brie Soup
Ingredients:
- 36 shucked fresh oysters (2 pints)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 8-12 ozs. Brie cheese, rind removed and cheese diced
- 1 cup finely chopped green onions
- (white and light-green parts)
- salt and pepper to taste
- crusty French bread, for serving
YIELD: 8 teacups or 16 demitasses
Strain oysters to remove liquor and grit. Set liquor aside and freeze for future use. Chop green onions and set aside 1/4 cup for garnish.
In a one gallon pot, melt the butter over a medium heat and sauté garlic and green onions until translucent. Add the drained oysters and simmer until the oysters curl, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in heavy cream, half and half, and cheese, continue stirring until cheese melts. Add salt and pepper to taste, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls or cups and garnish with green remaining green onions and serve, with crusty French bread on the side.
In a one gallon pot, melt the butter over a medium heat and sauté garlic and green onions until translucent. Add the drained oysters and simmer until the oysters curl, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in heavy cream, half and half, and cheese, continue stirring until cheese melts. Add salt and pepper to taste, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls or cups and garnish with green remaining green onions and serve, with crusty French bread on the side.
