Angels on Horseback

Serves 4

8 – 12 VenOysters
3 – 4 slices of Parma ham
1 – 2 small shallots
1 dessertspoon butter
1 star anise
1 garlic clove
1 small teaspoon muscovado sugar or jaggery
1 dessertspoon oyster sauce
Liquor from the oysters
An extra knob of butter

Reckon with 2 – 3 oysters per person, depending on the size.

Open the oysters and remove them from their shells. Drain the oysters in a sieve and collect the liquor in a bowl.

Place each oyster onto a strip of Parma ham and roll it up, fastening it with a wooden toothpick.

Finely chop the shallots and fry them in a little butter until transparent.

Add the star anise and chopped garlic, as well as the sugar, oyster sauce and liquor from the oysters. Cook them together and then set the mixture aside and quickly grill the oysters. They only need a few minutes as they shouldn’t be cooked through. Replace the oysters in their shells and give the sauce a quick reheat, adding a small knob of butter to round it out. Pour a dessertspoon over each oyster and serve hot with crusty French rolls.