Grilled Oysters with Spicy Tarragon Butter

There’s a birthday in the house. A very special birthday. Our dog Bob is 2. We rescued him just about a year and a half ago. It was hard. He wasn’t very sure he wanted us and we weren’t sure we could handle all of the neurosis this rescue dog came with. We knew all about these difficulties when we decided to rescue him. He was born in Georgia. He and his siblings were immediately put into a shelter. They had to have been abused. He was adopted and returned (was this the abusive person?). He was then sent to another shelter – one of those horrific kill shelters. At 3 months he was rescued from that awful place, and then rescued from one rescue organization by the fabulous folks at Underhound Railroad. He spent 3 months under the care of Underhand Railroad living with a foster mom a few miles from here.

We talked about a dog. We talked about rescuing a dog. We scoured sites looking for the perfect dog. AND THERE HE WAS.

We met him. He wouldn’t look at us. He wouldn’t come near us. He hid behind his foster Mom (thank you, Jamie).

We glanced at each other across the lawn and knew. He needed a home. He needed love and support. He needed us. We wanted to be those people for him. We decided his name had to be Bob. Twofold – (1) Canned Heat from Woodstock – Woodstock Boogie “I’ve got a dog his name is Bob” and (2) the movie What About Bob – we say this an awful lot.

The first three days he spent under a table – shaking. Then we lost him, in the woods, for 3 days. Wet, scared puppy, rain, halter *poof* gone. When he came back we just weren’t sure anymore. Bob was just NOT happy with us. I talked the Dear One off the ledge. He talked me off the ledge. The folks at Underhound asked us to give it more than a week. So we did. Their support was incredible – phone, emails, texting.

Then Bob fell in love … with me. Not so much the Dear One at first, which was very difficult when WE wanted a dog and the dog didn’t want BOTH of us. Be patient, he will come around. Those words became our mantra.

We were patient. We were frustrated and sad. Our hearts were aching for this poor little dog who had to have been so badly treated that he had no faith in humans, even those who walked him and fed him and gave him treats – or our friends who fed him under the table when they thought we weren’t looking.

Suddenly, once day, without our realizing when or how it happened, OUR dog appeared. The one who jumps up and down when he hears my car. The one who wants only the Dear One to chase him around the yard. The one who knows if I say “time to brush your teeth” to come running to the kitchen. My secret service agent. The Dear One’s play mate. He is more of a puppy now than he was at 6 months old when he first entered our lives.

Happy birthday, sweet dog. Thank you for letting us put a silly hat on your head. Thank you for trusting us. Thank you Dear One (as always) by indulging me with really wanting this insane dog. Perhaps this insane dog found the perfect insane home with two insane humans and all their insane friends.

So when Bob turned 2 and he was really and truly now OUR dog, he needed a special dinner. Enter the birthday dinner …

A meatloaf cupcake, wrapped in bacon, mashed potato frosting and carrot candles. Maybe it was gone in 2 bites.

The grownups, however, didn’t want Bob’s birthday dinner surprise so we had Baked Oysters with a Spicy Tarragon Butter. This is a Bobby Flay recipe from Food & Wine.

We have a friend who grows oysters. When he calls and says he has oysters the only answer to be given is – OH.YES.PLEASE. We ate a bunch of them and had a bunch left over, but no shucking knife. Our dear friend said to just bake them in a hot oven and they’ll open right up.

These are so fresh, so sweet, so perfectly briney and grown just off the coast a few miles from our house.

• 2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons chopped tarragon
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 3 dozen medium to large oysters, such as Gulf Coast or Bluepoint

NOTE: The oysters we used were farmed by a friend the day before. These are, without a doubt, the best oysters I have ever eaten.

Light a grill.

NOTE: It’s February – in Maine. The grill is away in the shed, shivering, waiting for spring to make an appearance. I turned the oven  up to 500 and baked the oysters for 10 minutes. The top shell lifted right off and we continued from there.

In a food processor, pulse the butter with the tarragon, hot sauce, salt and pepper until blended. Transfer the tarragon butter to a sheet of plastic wrap and roll it into a 2-inch-thick log. Refrigerate the butter until slightly firm, about 15 minutes. Slice the butter into 36 pats.

NOTE: I had 2 dozen oysters, but made the same amount of butter. There would have still been a lot left over with 36 oysters. I sliced the butter and froze it. There’s a salmon somewhere just itching for this butter!

Place the oysters on the hot grill, flat-side up. Cover the grill and cook until the oysters open, about 5 minutes.

NOTE: A baking sheet and 500 degree oven for 10 minutes did the same thing.

Using tongs, transfer the oysters to a platter, trying to keep the liquor inside. Quickly remove the top shells and loosen the oysters from the bottom shells. Top each oyster with a pat of tarragon butter and return the oysters to the grill. Cover the grill and cook until the butter is mostly melted and the oysters are hot, about 1 minute.

NOTE: Turned on the broiler and put the baking sheet back into the oven.

Serve right away.

Roasted Chicken with Tangerines and Olives

Now, you all know I am a huge fan of EveryDay Food Magazine. Really, Martha, what were you thinking by getting rid of our beloved little digest!?

And there has never really been a recipe I tried from EveryDay Food that I haven’t liked … until now. I think it’s just a matter of taste as I am sure many have tried this and loved it, but the brininess of the olives and the sweetness of the tangerines … well, YUCK. It just didn’t work for me. That and someone around here does not like olives. That should have been my first clue.

It may work for you.

• 1 whole organic chicken, cut into pieces
• salt and pepper
• 3 tangerines, unpeeled, quartered
• 2 T tangerine juice
• 2/3 C pitted green olives 4 oz
• 4 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 T honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Arrange chicken pieces on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Add tangerines and olives and garlic to pan. Roast 30 minutes.

NOTE: I used only thighs.

Whisk together juice and honey. Remove pan from oven and brush chicken with juice mixture. Return to oven for another 10-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

NOTE: If I make this again, I’ll skip the olives and perhaps add in fennel, or something that better compliments the tangerines.

Avocado Cream

And so the last component of this fantastic birthday, Mexican fiesta was a recipe I was inspired by by at a fellow foodie’s blog. They had used this for enchiladas, but I thought this would be perfect on top of the Burgers al Pastor I was making – and it was!

Creamy, bright, fresh, rich – perfect on burgers, enchiladas, tacos, or to just scoop up greedily with tortilla chips when everyone else has gone to bed!

• 1 1/2 avocados
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 T cilantro
• salt to taste
• 3 heaping t sour cream (add a little more if you want his a little looser

NOTE: The lime, salt and sour cream can be adjusted to your own taste.

Everything into the food processor, blender or even a bowl and mash by hand. Done!

I halved this recipe and it made enough for the burgers and for a cook’s secret treat later! Although, it is really hard to eat crunchy tortilla chips quietly!