鲜烤牡蛎配雪莉蒜蓉黄油

不知何故，我很幸运地养成了一个圣诞节传统，这个传统在我和我丈夫的家庭聚会中也有体现:烤牡蛎。对于泰勒家族(我的家族)来说，这是一个相对较新的习俗，已经持续了四年。我们在佛罗里达的纳瓦拉海滩租了一间海滨别墅，我的父母，我的哥哥和他的家人，还有我的四口之家聚在一起。在我丈夫这边，一大家子人聚集在我妹夫位于密西西比州威金斯市(Wiggins)的家中，距海岸以北约半小时车程。杰米，我丈夫的弟弟，在他的后院布置了一个很棒的派对，一辆旧的Argosy房车(据说曾经是爷爷琼斯的旅游车)被碎石院子、火坑和线灯包围着。备受期待的亮点是牡蛎烧烤，这发生在一个烧烤方便。在任何一个地方，我们都会买一袋海湾牡蛎，拿出一把牡蛎刀和手套，每个人都会卷起袖子开始去壳。当我们一个接一个地打开牡蛎时，任何政治或哲学上的分歧都会消失。这是一个很棒的体验，每个人都为一个共同的(而且美味的)目标一起工作，大人们笑着，分享剥壳技巧，喝波旁威士忌，在圣诞音乐的背景音乐中讲故事，而孩子们跑来跑去，取笑我们。我们肯定会在它们上烤架之前把它们吞下去(包括孩子们——或者，更确切地说，尤其是孩子们)，但之后那些得到热吻的贝会被热烈地赞颂。我们更喜欢烤到生蚝热为止，这样可以保持生蚝的质感。 And they’re always, mandatorily, slathered with garlic butter. This version is, I must say, just insanely delicious because the garlic butter includes a good splash of sherry, which imparts nutty depth that takes the oysters over the top. Round after round of half shells will come off the grill, and people will throw their heads back in ecstasy as they half die of happiness.My recipe here is for a manageable two dozen, though in reality our celebrations involve far more than that. You can easily double, triple, or quadruple the sherried garlic butter to accommodate however many hungry cousins, aunts, uncles, or friends you want to make happy. And don’t be afraid to put people to work shucking. At this time of year, especially, everyone wants to pitch in, to get involved in a hands-on way, to put their hearts and their effort into experiences that bring joy to the ones they love.