Pierre Gagnaire’s Gaya Oysters recipe & Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs
Pierre Gagnaire’s Gaya Oysters recipe & Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs
Brimming with aromas of hedgerow flowers and crisp citrus, Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs is so vibrant and vivacious in its acidity that it almost throws itself into the heady complexity of Chef Pierre Gagnaire’s Gaya Oysters.
Combining the zestiness of lime, the perfume of coriander, the richness of mascarpone and the sweetness of banana, this elegant aperitif is as surprising as it is sensual.
For Pierre Gagnaire, the pairing of the Perrier-Jouët cuvée and fleshy oysters from the village of Marennes was only natural. He explains, “the Blanc de Blancs is crisp, spontaneous, floral and fresh, while the Gaya oyster is filled with freshness from the coriander, lime and ginger”. All of this citrus is supported and rounded off by sardine rillettes and creamy mascarpone.
Serve the oysters on a platter of kelp and eat in one bite for an exquisite amuse-bouche—or as Pierre Gagnaire describes it, “an impromptu moment to celebrate the day ahead.”
Practical information
- People: For 4
- Preparation time: 30 to 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 24 N°3 cupped oysters, shucked
- Kelp (speak to your fishmonger)
- Fresh ginger
- A can of sardines in olive oil (keep the oil)
- 80 g mascarpone
- A small bunch of fresh coriander
- A small bunch of chives
- A lime
- A stalk of celery
- A banana (that is not too ripe)
- Fine sea salt
- Sarawak white pepper (ground)
Recipe steps
Step 1: Sardine rillettes
- Crush the sardines in a deep dish.
- Add the olive oil from the can of sardines, the mascarpone, the lime zest and juice, and the chopped coriander and chives.
- Mix everything and season to taste.
Step 2: Cutting the celery, banana and ginger
- Wash the stalk of celery. Chop it into 3 pieces of about 4 cm each and cut them lengthwise into fine strands. Set them aside in fresh water.
- Peel the banana. Cut it into thin slices, place them on a piece of cling film and put them in the freezer.
- Peel the ginger and chop it into small cubes.
Step 3: Presentation
- Place the kelp and clean oyster shells into 4 deep dishes.
- Put a small teaspoon of rillettes into each oyster shell and add the julienne of celery (after it has been drained on a clean cloth). Place the oyster on top, which has been seasoned with ginger.
- Just before serving, put the banana slice and some coriander leaves on top. Sprinkle them with the oyster water.
- Finish with a few drops of olive oil and a turn of the pepper mill on each oyster.