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Little Pigs in Blankets
24 large oysters 24 very thin short slices fat bacon Salt and pepper Parsley Season the oysters with salt and pepper. Wrap one oyster in each slice of bacon and fasten with a toothpick. Heat a saucepan and put in the little pigs; cook just long enough to crisp the bacon, about five minutes. Cut slices of toast into quarters and place one pig in its blanket on each small slice of toast. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley.
A late-Victorian savoury that survived well into the twentieth century as a cocktail bite. The whole thing hinges on the bacon being cut thin enough to crisp before the oyster inside overcooks.
- Bacon thickness"Very thin short slices" is not decorative language. Standard-cut supermarket bacon is too thick and too long; ask for thin-cut, or stretch each slice with the back of a knife and cut it to just long enough to wrap once around the oyster with a slight overlap.
- "Saucepan" means the panThe recipe's "saucepan" is an unusual choice for frying. Use a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, no added fat, and turn the parcels so the bacon colours on both sides.
- Five minutes is the limitOysters firm up in about two minutes and turn rubbery soon after. The five minutes here is the time for the bacon, so the bacon must be thin enough to crisp within it. If it is not crisping, the pan is not hot enough rather than the time being short.
- Broiling works betterSome versions of the dish call for a hot broiler or salamander instead, which crisps the bacon faster and renders the fat away from the oyster. Three to four minutes under a preheated broiler, turning once, gives a cleaner result than a crowded pan.
- Drain the oystersShucked oysters carry a good deal of liquor, and wet oysters will steam the bacon rather than let it crisp. Pat them dry before seasoning and wrapping.
- ToothpicksWooden picks will scorch under a broiler; soak them briefly in water first, and remove them before the parcels go onto the toast if you are serving these to a standing room.
- ToastCut the toast into quarters after toasting, not before, and keep the pieces small enough for one bite with the oyster. Assemble at the last moment or the toast goes soft under the oyster.
- YieldTwenty-four parcels serve six to eight as a first course, or a dozen people as a passed appetiser. Season lightly, as the bacon brings most of the salt.