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Oyster Cheesecake: Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction

Dear Bay Weekly:

I saw oyster cheesecake on a cook-off show a few years ago. I mentioned it to my husband recently. He said I had been “seeing things.”

Is there some way to get this recipe so I can show him I’m not?

–Justine Wetherington, via email

Editor’s note: Yes, there is such a thing, and I have the recipe, in the library of Maryland National Oyster Cook-off cookbooks I’ve acquired as a judge of the competing oyster recipes. This is a savory, not a sweet, cheesecake. Baltimoran Dawn L. Brown’s recipe won the grand prize in the 1998 competition. To order cookbooks, send $8 along with your return address to The National Oyster Cook-Off Contest Cookbook, P.O. Box 653, Leonardtown, Md. 20650.

Oyster Cheesecakes with Oyster Sauce and a Caviar Garnish

Cheesecakes

1 dozen shucked oysters

2 large eggs

1⁄2 shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1⁄2 tsp. lemon juice

6 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 Tbs. chopped, seeded tomatoes

Dash: cayenne pepper, seafood seasoning, salt and pepper

Butter four 2⁄3-cup soufflé dishes. With electric mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in eggs. Mix in remaining ingredients, saving oysters till last. Divide among soufflé dishes. Bake at 350 degrees until centers set, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly. Run a sharp knife around sides of cups to loosen cheesecakes. Invert each onto plate. Spoon on sauce and garnish.

Oyster Sauce

3 Tbs. butter

1 pint chopped oysters with liquor

1 Tbs. sherry

3 Tbs. four

1 pint whipping cream

1 tsp. seafood seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour and stir till smooth, cooking for several minutes. Add cream, stirring until smooth. Add oysters and seasoning. Cook over low to medium heat until thickened. Add sherry just before serving.

Burton Hits Home

Dear Bay Weekly:

Mr. Burton’s Nov. 13, 2008 article entitled “Not All Heroes Wear Uniforms” really hit home with me. My dad (now passed) stayed home on our St. Mary’s County farm during World War II. All of his buddies served in the war, and it always seemed as though he felt he had not served his country. This article was a watershed for me, and I have cut it out to give to my mom.

Meanwhile, I would like to find Walter Hard’s full version of the poem, “On the Home Front.” Can you please tell me where to look for it?

Thank you for your help and for your columns over the years.

–Janet Barnes, Saint Leonard

Editor’s note: I found many sources for books by Walter Hard on-line, particularly at www.alibris.com. Bill Burton says the poem is included in …

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