From Cooking: “I, Piscivore” by Gary Cartwright, in the September 1987 issue of Texas Monthly.
4 large eggs
¾ cup whole milk
¾ cup all-purpose flour, sifted
¼ cup finely grated Italian Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh snipped chives, chopped basil, or chopped parsley
2 tablespoons unsalted sweet butter (for greasing ramekins)
⅓ cup Italian Parmesan cheese, finely grated (additional)
Big pinch of cayenne
Big pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 ten-ounce jar of fresh oysters, drained and patted dry (cut large oysters in half if necessary), or 6 large freshly shucked oysters
Combine the eggs, milk, flour, ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese, salt, and herbs in a mixer and mix well. Fill six well-buttered 4- or 5-ounce individual ramekins, custard cups, or soufflé dishes three quarters full (about ½ cup).
Combine the ⅓ cup of Parmesan and the peppers, roll the dry oysters in the mixture, and place one large oyster in the middle of each ramekin.
Place the ramekins on a thin baking sheet (if using a heavy sheet, increase the oven temperature 25 degrees), and bake in a preheated 450-degree oven about 20 to 25 minutes or until popovers puff high and are crusty brown on the outside. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees after 10 minutes if the popovers brown too quickly. Makes six.
