The Hog Island Oyster Lover's Cookbook

Book excerpt: Seductive but standoffish, oysters ask that you get to know them a little before you can really enjoy them. How do you choose from among the dozens of varieties? How do you handle, shuck, and store them? Are they better cooked or raw? And are they really an aphrodisiac? Full of alluring recipes from topflight chefs, plus tasting notes and wine- and beer-pairing tips, the authoritative and accessible HOG ISLAND OYSTER LOVER'S COOKBOOK demystifies these enigmatic bivalves and provides the insider's scoop on serving them at home as well as ordering them in an oyster bar. • The essential full-color companion to buying, shucking, cooking, and eating oysters, from the premier oyster company in North America. • With more than 40 recipes for raw oyster toppings and cooked oyster dishes from chefs such as Bobby Flay, Alice Waters, Hiro Sone, and Cindy Pawlcyn. • Includes 40 full-color sunlit photos from the Hog Island Oyster Farm (in Tomales Bay) and Bar (in San Francisco's Ferry Building), as well as styled food shots. • The three million oysters that Hog Island raises annually are served at top restaurants around the country, including French Laundry, Charlie Trotter's, Grand Central Oyster Bar, and the Four Seasons. Reviews One of the Best Cookbooks of the Year —7 x 7 Magazine "A roadie's guide to oysters and their history . . . Pomo's recipes are brimming with exciting and thoughtful ideas." —New York Times Summer Cookbook Review "An opus for oyster lovers." —San Francisco Chronicle "If your family vacation this summer takes you to oyster country, either "Back East'" or "Out West," carry this convenient volume with you." —Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "This book could be what legions of oyster fans who can't get enough in restaurants but hestitate to do the bivalve thing at home have been waiting for." —Baltimore Sun