Inspired by Paul Wittenstein, the General Manager at the ARC Hatchery, to consider the oyster and gather more often in the kitchen with friends and family with the purpose of creating simple dishes together while sipping festive refreshments, we offer you Heather Atwood’s recipe for Oyster Melts, from her celebrated cookbook In Cod We Trust.
OYSTER MELTS RECIPE
1 Loaf French Bread
Butter to coat the muffin pan
1 dozen fresh, large oysters
12 slices best quality cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put bread in oven to get warm and crispy. Keep it wrapped in foil until oysters are ready. Turn the oven to broil. Butter a 12 portion muffin tin. In each tin, place an oyster topped with a square of cheddar cheese. Broil until the cheese melts and gets slightly bubbly. Eat the oysters straight out of the pan, placing each on a chunk of warm French bread. Serve with Prosecco, dry sparkling wine or champagne.
Heather Atwood is the author of In Cod We Trust, the celebrated cuisine of Coastal Massachusetts. She is the managing editor of The Other Cape, an online magazine focused on what’s special and wonderful about Cape Ann.
More on Heather Atwood
Where writing, food and culture intersect on Cape Ann, you will find Heather Atwood. In addition to being a Cookbook Author, she is a Producer at 1623 Studios. 1623 Studios is located in Gloucester, MA. The group represents the four communities of Cape Ann: Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Essex. Their mission is to provide a forum for the free exchange of information and ideas. In their YouTube series The Color of Light, you can watch episodes like the one below where Atwood offers up rich video storytelling of Magnolia Maritime Artist Frank Knox Morton Rehn.