Baked Oysters a la Great Grandma Julia

Today’s dinner menu in our household is all about tradition.  My great-grandmother Julia Jefferson Espy’s baked oysters!  They are easy — and absolutely delicious.  And pretty much fool-proof!

Julia Jefferson Espy’s Baked Oysters
Use oyster shell or other individual container
Place one or two medium –sized oysters in container
Pour 1 tbs. hot sauce over oyster (hot sauce: catsup, tobacco, and Worcestershire to taste)
Lay one strip of bacon over hot sauce (about 1/3 the length of a normal strip)
Lay one slice of cheddar cheese over bacon (Tillamook, medium sharp)
Bake 1-1/2 hours in at 325 degrees
Save the shells!
From the kitchen of Sydney Stevens, Julia’s great-granddaughter

2019 Christmas Tree

The fool-proof aspect is the timing on the baking.  As my mom aged, she began to really enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail… or three.  (I think her grandmother would have been tee-totally shocked!)   “Mom, what about the oysters?” we’d say, probably more than once.  And anxiously.  “Oh, you can’t hurt baked oysters!” she’d reply.  And we all still agree that those baked oysters were always perfect!

The secret to that perfection, of course, is that the bacon keeps the oysters moist, the cheese melts and seals all the deliciousness in.  It wouldn’t be an Oysterville Christmas Eve in our family without them.  Yum!