Makes 12 hors d’oeuvres or a large appetizer for 2.
Ingredients
1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1/4 cup champagne
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1 large shallot, minced
12 medium-sized oysters, such as Malpeque or Wellfleet, scrubbed
Directions
Place the cucumber in a sieve set over a bowl and season with a pinch of salt. Drain for 1 hour. Toast the peppercorns in a skillet over an open flame until fragrant. Crush the peppercorns with the bottom of a small sauce pan and combine them in a mixing bowl with the vinegar, champagne, shallot and cucumbers. Chill until ready to use.
To open the oysters, place the oysters inside a folded towel, rounded side down and slide your oyster knife through the pointed opening of the oyster, along the inside of the top shell until you release the hinge. Discard the top shell, remove any pieces of shell in the oyster with the tip of your oyster knife and release the oyster muscle on the the underside of the oyster with your knife.
Serve the oysters on a bed of crushed ice with the mignonette on the side, or if you’re serving them individually, drizzle the mignonette on each one and pass them on a plate of coarse salt.
