Ingredients
Hartsyard hot sauce
Hartsyard seasoned flour mix
English muffins
Coleslaw
Old bay mayo
Method
Hartsyard hot sauce
1.On a barbecue with a lid, lay out half the chillies and half the onions, leaving enough space to house a black cast-iron pan. Place the empty cast-iron pan on the stove-top for 5 minutes, or until extremely hot.
2.Meanwhile, in a 3 litre (12-cup) stockpot, combine the remaining chillies and onions, vinegar, sea salt and garlic. Bring to a slow simmer. Do not allow the mixture to boil.
3.When the cast-iron pan is at smelting temperature, cover the bottom with at least 1cm of oak chips. Leave until the chips start to smoulder and smoke (almost instantaneous) — they should never ignite.
4.Move the cast-iron pan to the barbecue very carefully; close the barbecue lid and leave to smoke. If the chips are still smoking after a minimum of 20 minutes, let them go until they’re finished; but if they’re done, place the whole smoked vegetables in the simmering stockpot (which by now should have been bubbling away for 30 minutes).
5.Simmer for a further 30 minutes, ensuring the mixture never boils. After 1 hour of total cooking, remove the stockpot from the heat.
6.Stir in the butter, then wrap the top of the hot container with plastic wrap to form a seal. Leave at room temperature for 48 hours.
7.After 2 days, blend all the ingredients until they’re smooth enough to strain through a colander. This should remove large chunks, leaving behind a fine pulp.
8.Transfer to sterile bottles or airtight containers and refrigerate until required; the sauce will easily keep for a week or two.
Hartsyard seasoned flour mix
9.Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl; whisk until thoroughly combined.
English muffins
10.Preheat the oven to 160°C.
11.Combine the milk and butter in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat until the butter has melted, then pull the pan off the heat and cool the mixture to room temperature.
12.Pour the mixture into the bowl of an electric stand mixer, then add the yeast and sugar and mix until dissolved. Leave to rest for 10 minutes, to allow the yeast to activate; it should become frothy. Add the egg and flour, then beat until smooth and homogenous.
13.Turn the dough out onto a work surface dusted with the polenta. Knead the dough by hand for 2 minutes, dusting with extra polenta if it gets too sticky. Roll the dough out to a thickness of 2 cm, then cut out 12 rounds, using a 5.5 cm round cutter. Place the rounds on a baking tray dusted with polenta.
14.Heat the canola oil in a cast-iron frying pan over medium–low heat. Working four at a time, pan-fry the dough rounds for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown delicious on both sides, returning each batch to the baking tray.
15.When all the rounds have been pan-fried, pop the tray in the oven and bake the muffins for 10–12 minutes, or until they crack slightly around the circumference. (The baking off is just to ‘finish’ the muffins, as they have already been cooked during pan-frying.)
16.The muffins are best enjoyed the same day, but can be doused in butter and toasted in the oven again a couple of days later, if there are any left by then.
Coleslaw
17.Cut the cabbage in half against the grain; using a mandoline, shred the cabbage lengthways into 2 mm (1⁄16 inch) strands. Shave the onions into rings the same thickness as the cabbage.
18.Insert the julienne attachment into the mandoline, then shave the carrot diagonally.
19.In a bowl, toss the cabbage, onion, carrot and chives by hand until evenly distributed. Just before serving, spoon in the mayo to suit your taste. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Old Bay mayo
20.In a blender or food processor, combine the egg yolks, vinegar, mustard and 2 tablespoons water until smooth.
21.With the motor running, slowly pour in the canola oil until the mixture thickens. If it’s too thick, add another 2 tablespoons water — the mixture should be homogenous, with a thick, creamy texture.
22.Transfer to a bowl and mix in the Old Bay Seasoning and miso paste. Dip your finger in to taste, then season with the lemon juice and some sea salt if necessary. A crack of black pepper wouldn’t go astray. The mayo will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
To assemble
23.Place the oysters in a bowl. Add the buttermilk and hot sauce and stir to combine. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.
24.Remove the oysters from the buttermilk and drain on paper towel. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
25.Coat the oysters with the seasoned flour mix, then fry in the hot oil until golden brown and crisp on the outside, but still soft and creamy inside — about 45–60 seconds on the first side, and another 30 seconds on the second side. Remove and drain on paper towel.
26.To serve, place a hot oyster on a muffin base, add a spoonful or two of coleslaw and top with the muffin lid. Serve with some more hot sauce.
Start this recipe the day before serving, as the oysters need a good long buttermilk soaking. Tapioca flour is used in the seasoning mix because it is less greasy than wheat flour. The English muffin recipe will make twelve, you can save the rest for breakfast if you like. Recipes and Images from Fried Chicken and Friends by Greg Llewellyn and Naomi Hart, published by Murdoch Books $49.99
Note
