My father's oyster stew

4 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 pint Oysters
½ cup Oyster liquor
1 quart Milk
1 pint Half & half
1 cup Cream
2 tablespoons Butter
Salt; to taste
Pepper; to taste
-- Harmon Dow

Directions

Heat milk, half and half, and cream to the boiling point but do not boil. At the same general time, but obviously later because the volume of liquid is smaller, heat the oyster liquor in a separate pan. When the milk is hot, throw the butter in to melt. Add some salt and lots of pepper (I like to use a coarse grind pepper). When the liquor is hot, add the oysters. Continue to heat the liquor plus oysters until the oysters just begin to curl at the edges, maybe two minutes. Then dump the oysters and liquor into the milk. "Correct the seasonings" and serve it forth.

My wife likes to add paprika to hers at the table. I like oyster crackers with mine, and in general like the little commercial ones rather than the more elegant and expensive ones. You can fiddle with this recipe all you want - more milk and less cream, or vice versa; more pepper and salt (I like lots of both); fewer oysters - it really comes down to your taste.

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