Christmas Oyster Stew - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 cups butter, separated
1 1/2 cups finely minced celery
5 tablespoons finely minced shallots
1 gallon half-and-half
2 (32 ounce) containers fresh shucked oysters, undrained
salt & fresh ground pepper (at least 2 round tablespoons)
6 dashes Tabasco sauce
celery salt
10 -12 pinches paprika, 1 pinch per bowl

Preparation

Melt 2 sticks of butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add the celery and shallots and saute until the shallots are translucent.
Pour half-and-half into a large pot over medium-high heat. Mix in 2 sticks of butter, celery, and shallot mixture. Stir continuously. When the mixture is almost boiling, pour the oysters and their liquid into the pot. Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce. Stir continuously until the oysters curl at the ends. When the oysters curl the stew is finished cooking; turn off the heat and serve.
Add celery salt and paprika to each bowl along with a 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoon square of butter from the remaining sticks.