Steamed oysters with fennel

Allow 3-4 Pacific oysters per person, unopened, depending on their size. Scrub them well and place them in a large pot. Add half a cup of dry white wine, put a lid on the pot and bring to the boil for 2-3 minutes. Strain the resulting liquid through a fine sieve into a bowl. Open the oysters - taking the top shell off and leaving each oyster in the deeper bottom shell - and add any liquor (the oyster's juice) to the rest of the liquid. Heat a tablespoon of butter in a pan. Chop half a bulb of fennel into fine dice and lightly fry in the butter, with a minced garlic clove, for one minute. Now add the liquor and bring to the boil. Keep boiling for a minute or so, add a dash of cream, turn the heat off and season with salt and pepper.

To serve 

Serve the oysters by spooning a little sauce onto each one and finishing the plate with some fennel tips.