Oysters On the Half Shell with Lemon Ice & Caviar

From The Hog Island Oyster Lover's Cookbook, by Jairemarie Pomo

The combination of the subtle Meyer lemon ice and the intense pop of caviar make this a multilayered sense experience.  Meyer lemons have a sweeter and less acidic juice than regular lemons. It's fine to substitute regular lemons, but the flavor of the oyster may be overpowered by the acid. This recipe comes from Chad Callahan, former executive chef of San Francisco's famed Masa's restaurant.

Ingredients

Lemon Ice

1/4 teaspoon grated Meyer lemon zest

1 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice

1/4 cup sparkling water

1 1/2 dozen (18) extra-small Hog Island Sweetwaters (Pacific oysters). 

2 ounces caviar

Chervil sprigs for garnish

Preparations

In a 9x13 inch baking dish, combine all the lemon ice ingredients (lemon zest, lemon juice, sparkling water).  Freeze for about 4 hours.  Remove the frozen mixture from the freezer and, using the tines of a fork, scrape it into a bowl until it has the texture of a snow cone. 

Scrub and shuck the oysters and place them on a platter of crushed ice. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the lemon ice on top of each oyster. Top with 1/4 teaspoon of caviar and garnish with a single sprig of chervil. Serve immediately.

Variations

Substitute 1/4 cup good vodka for 1/4 cup of lemon juice.

Substitute 1/4 cup Pernod for the lemon zest and juice.  Increase the sparkling water to 1/2 cup.