Sabayon

125 ml(1 cup) pouring cream

3egg yolks

85 ml dessert wine

80 gm(1/3 cup) raw caster sugar

1vanilla bean, scraped seeds only

Method

  1. Whisk cream in a bowl until soft peaks form, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until required.
  2. Whisk yolks, wine, sugar and vanilla seeds in a heatproof bowl until combined and sugar dissolves.
  3. Place over a saucepan of gently simmering water (bowl should fit snugly over pan) and whisk continuously until mixture is thick, pale and tripled in volume and holds a ribbon (8-10 minutes).
  4. Remove from heat and whisk for 2-3 minutes to prevent sabayon cooking on sides of bowl, fold in cream to combine, then refrigerate until required.

Oysters in Champagne sabayon

Ingredients

  • 50 g butter, melted
  • 1medium shallot, finely chopped
  • 12small mushrooms, finely chopped
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 12freshly opened oysters
  • 80 mlChampagne
  • 2egg yolks

Cook's notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Instructions

Heat 20 g of the melted butter in a small pan. Stir in the shallots and cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until most of the moisture has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 250°C.

Remove the oysters from the shell and put the shells aside on an oven tray. Place the oysters in a small ovenproof pan with 50 ml of the Champagne and bring to a low simmer. Very gently stir in the oysters and turn off the heat.

Place the egg yolks in a bowl and mix with the remaining 30 ml of Champagne. Place the bowl over a bath of simmering water (bain-marie) and beat the yolks and champagne until light and fluffy. It takes a few minutes and the egg must not scramble.

Remove the bowl from the heat, slowly whisk in the remaining melted butter and season with salt and pepper.

Spoon a little mushroom purée into the 12 clean oyster shells. Top with a drained oyster, then coat the oysters with the Champagne sauce. Place the oysters in the hot oven for a few minutes until the sauce has lightly browned. Serve immediately.