Ooo part one: Oysters

If you fancy a bit of ooo at home - Gordon's breaded and fried oysters are actually easier than you think, provided you have a bit of brute strength and an oyster knife.

Serves 2
For the oysters:
Dozen fresh oysters (5 each plus 2 for pre cooking slurping)
30g plain flour
1 large egg beaten
30g Japanese panko breadcrumbs (we just used normal stale bread whizzed in the food processor)
groundnut or vegetable oil for deep frying (we only had seasame oil which seemed to work just as well)

For the sauce gribiche: (this makes enough for 4 but it's so delicious make the extra, it keeps well in the fridge, we had the reast with lemon sole goujons the next night)
1 large egg
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
120 olive oil
1 tbsp capers
1 tbsp fresh flat parsley

To make the sauce - boil the egg, shell and half and scoop out the yolk put in the food processor and add the mustard, white wine vinegar, capers and olive oil and whizz. Finely chop the white and chop the parsely and mix in.

For the oysters - hold flat in a thickly folded tea towel, push the oyster knife against the joint (bottom) of the oyster and wiggle about to break it (bit of force required here, Choux Boy was sweating). Onde you are through turn the oyster knife to open the shell. Scoop out the oyster flesh and put in a bowl.

Once you have opened and scoops all your oysters (and slurped one each to reward yourself for all your hard work) place the flour, egg, bread in three bowls. You want to dunk each oyster in flour, egg, breadcrumbs in that order and set aside ready for the pan.

Heat 3-4cm of oil in a small saucepan. Gordon says you know it is ready for the off when a piece of breadcrumb 'fizzes vigorously' when you drop it in. Deep fry your oysters in batches of 3 or 4, depending on how big your pan is. Gordon says for a few seconds each but ours look a bit longer, maybe our oil wasn't hot enough but the breadcrumb test was definitely fizzy. Basically you want the breadcrumbs to look crisp and a bit golden like cooked scampi.

When done place them on a place lined with kitchen towel to absorb at least a little of the unhealthy deep friedness (but it tastes so goooooood). When they are all done split between two plates with some sauce on the side and crack open that bottle of bubbles, as if you haven't already...

(courtesy of Gordon Ramsay's Cooking for Friends, cheers Gord!)