Oyster Vol-Au-Vents - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup milk
1 small bay leaf
2 slices onions, thin slices
5 black peppercorns
1 small celery rib, sliced
30 g butter
1 1/2 tablespoons plain flour
sea salt, to taste
fresh ground white pepper, to taste
1 pinch nutmeg
24 small bottled oysters, drained
24 small vol-au-vent cases
1 tablespoon chives, to garnish

Preparation

Pat the oysters dry with paper towels and set aside.
Prepare bechamel sauce by combining the milk, bay leaf, onion, peppercorns and celery in a small, heavy-based saucepan, over a medium heat until bubbles form around the edge of the saucepan. Remove from the heat and stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to cool. Strain and reserve the milk.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan until hot and bubbling. Add the flour and stir constantly for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to avoid the sauce from becoming lumpy.
Return the saucepan to the heat and cook the sauce, stirring constantly on a medium-high heat until it comes to the boil and thickens. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Preheat the oven to 200\u00b0C.
Spoon 1 teaspoon of bechamel sauce into the base of each vol-au-vent case, top with an oyster and spoon over a little extra bechamel sauce.
Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and hot. Just before serving, sprinkle with chopped chives.
Note: These vol-au-vents can be prepared a few hours in advance and put in the oven just before they are required.