Oyster Soup

Oyster Soup  

6 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup shallots (chopped fine)
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon flour
14 oz chicken broth (more or less won't h; urt)
4 cup oysters, drained; reserve liquid (less, to
14 oz artichoke hearts, cooked
2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoon parsley (chopped, fresh)
In a 3-quart casserole, melt butter and saute shallots. When shallots are
translucent, add thyme, bay leaf and cayenne pepper. Add flour and whisk
well. Add broth, oyster water, artichoke hearts, salt and tabasco. Bring
to a boil. Add oysters and parsley. Simmer on medium, partly covered, for
exactly 5 minutes. Add whipped cream and serve immediately.
NOTES:
* Chicken broth with artichokes and poached oysters -- This is a modern
Cajun-style recipe that I adapted from a local convenience-food cookbook
by Jean Durkee. It's an intriguing combination of modern American
ingredients with traditional cajun flavorings.
* Fresh parsley tastes much better than dried parsley. If the
oysters are bigger than a small bite-size, cut them up before adding them to
the soup. Use the smallest oysters you can find.
* When I'm not making a double recipe, I usually dump the
entire (about 1-cup) container of whipping cream into the soup, even
though that's double what the recipe calls form.
* The timing on cooking the oysters is fairly
critical. If you overcook them, they will be rubbery.
: Difficulty: easy.
: Time: 20 minutes.
: Precision: measure the spices.