Recipe - Oyster Artichoke Bisque

WALDINE VAN GEFFEN VGHC42A
1/8 pound Butter; not margarine
1 cup Onion; chop
One half cup Celery; chop
One fourth cup Bell pepper; chop
10 sl Bacon; cook; crumble
One fourth cup Bacon drippings
36 Fresh oysters; chop
6 small Artichokes; cook; scrape
chop bottoms
2 cup Oyster liquor
1 cup Artichoke stock
2 teaspoon Fresh basil
2 pt Whipping cream
Salt and black pepper
Cayenne
Parsley; chop; for garnish

Melt the butter in a 5qt Dutch oven and saute the onions, celery and bell
pepper until they soften. Toss in the bacon, the drippings and the chopped
oyssters and simmer gently over low heat, stirring constantly, until the
oysters curl and a rich graycolored base forms. Drop in the artichoke pulp
and bottoms and blend them well into the mixture. Stir in the oyster liquor
and the artichoke cooking stock. Bring it to a boil, but be sure to keep
stirring or the oyster liquor will scorch and stick to the bottom of the
pot. Boil for about 4 minutes. Stir in the basil, reduce the heat to simmer
and let the bisque cook slowly for another 5 minutes. Stir in the cream, a
halfpint at a time, and turn the fire back up to high! When the mixture
comes back to a boil, reduce the heat again so that the bisque just barely
"bubbles" and add the salt and pepper. Taste before adding the salt as the
oysters contain a lot of salt. After 10 minutes, remove from the heat and
allow it to "set up" for 15 minutes so that the flavors blend. Serve,
garnished with parsley. Source: Frank Davis Cooks Naturally N'Awlins.
Posted to EATL Digest 14 October 96

Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 10:31:55 0500

From: LD Goss ldgoss@METRONET.COM