Briny, sweet oysters broiled with creamy French Mornay sauce. An easy, cheesy, and delicious recipe that takes just 30 minutes or less and only uses 9 simple ingredients!
12Oysters (on the half shell or shucked)12 large oysters or 24 small oysters
3tablespoonButter
2tablespoonAll purpose flour
1cChicken broth
1cHalf and half cream (10% - 18% M.F.)
1Egg yolk
1teaspoonLemon juice
½cSwiss cheese, shredded
¼ cCheddar cheese, shredded
Optional: Paprika, fresh ground black pepper, lemon wedges.
Instructions
Mornay Sauce
Set a heavy bottomed, medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add butter and flour and cook, stirring until roux is well blended and bubbling.
Remove from heat and add stock all at once, whisking quickly to incorporate well and prevent lumps. Return to heat, stirring frequently until thickened.
In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of the cream and set aside. Add the remaining cream to the sauce in the pot and stir until heated through. Reduce heat to low.
Slowly add a ladle of hot cream sauce to the egg yolk, whisking constantly. This will temper the egg yolk so it mixes in without getting lumpy. Once it's been incorporated, pour the yolk mixture into the hot sauce and mix well.
Add lemon juice, whisk and then add both kinds of cheese. Stir once, then let melt, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Mornay sauce is finished.
Baked Oysters Mornay
Pre heat broiler or oven to 500'F. Prepare oysters. If large, cut into bite-size pieces and return to half-shell or place in ramekins. One large or 2 small oysters per ramekin or one oyster per shell. Place all shells or ramekins on a baking sheet.
Top oysters with Mornay sauce to cover. Sprinkle lightly with paprika if desired and place sheet of oysters in the oven under the broiler. Broil 4-6 minutes, until turning golden brown and bubbly. Turn broiler off and let oysters cook 1-2 more minutes before removing from oven.
Notes
Serve while warm with crusty bread and extra wedges of lemon or hot sauce.