Red Hot Oyster And Kimchi Stuffing

• Oyster and Kimchi stuffing
• 3 tablespoons (43 grams) of unsalted butter
• 3 strips of bacon, diced
• 3 medium shallot, finely diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh sage
• 1/8 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon of ground clove
• 2 cups (330 grams/11.6 oz) of kimchi, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of Korean gochujang (red chili paste)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (6 grams) of dried porcini, no need to soak but cleaned and chopped
• 1/8 cup of Brandy
• 1/2 cup of chicken stock
• 1/2 cup of oyster liquor
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 5 1/2 cups (150 grams/5.3 oz) of rustic bread, cubed (the weight was measured after baking)
• 20 medium-size, or 40 Asian small-size shucked oysters (250 grams/8.8 oz)
• 1 tablespoon of tabasco sauce
• To finish:
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 1 clove of garlic, grated
• 1 tablespoon finely sliced fresh sage
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper

1. NOTE: I used partly medium-size oysters and partly small-size Asian oysters for this recipe. I did it because Asian oysters are cheaper and robust in flavours. But for some reason on the day I went to the market for it, there were only MINI-SIZE oysters left so I had no choice but to use them, and they shrunk considerably during cooking. In conclusion, I think oysters (flesh only) that are about 1 1/2? (4 cm) in length would be perfect for this use. On a small note, celery seems to be universally endorsed as a must stuffing-ingredients... or so it seems. I didn't have it at the time and so I excluded it from the recipe. If this violates your holiday principle strongly, feel free to add 1/4 cup of finely diced celery stalk back in with shallots and garlic.
2. Preheat the oven on 400u0b0F/200u0b0C.
3. Lay the bread cubes evenly on a sheet-tray and toast in the oven until medium-browned, approx 10 ~ 15 min. Set aside.
4. In a sauce pot, cook unsalted butter and diced bacons with 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper over medium-heat, until the butter is browned and the bacons are crispy. Add the diced shallots, minced garlic, thyme leaves, chopped sage, grated nutmeg and ground cloves. Cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add the chopped kimchi, Korean gochujang paste and dried porcini, and cook for another couple of minutes to caramelize slightly. Then add the brandy and cook until the alcohol has evaporated. Add the chicken stock and oyster liquor (substitute with chicken stock if you don't have enough oyster liquor), and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with more sea salt and ground black pepper if needed. Turn off the heat and let cool slightly for 10 minutes.
5. Place the toasted bread cubes and oysters in a large bowl, then pour the kimchi/stock mixture into the bowl. Add 1 tbsp of tabasco sauce and fold all the ingredients together evenly with a spatula. Careful not to break the oysters. Let the mixture sit for 10 ~ 15 minutes for the flavours to mix.
6. Lightly butter a shallow baking-dish, and spread the mixture evenly in the dish. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 20 min (for small-size oysters), or 25 min (for medium-size oysters). Meanwhile, melt 1 1/2 tbsp of unsalted butter in a small pot, then add grated garlic, thinly sliced sage and ground black pepper. Turn off the heat once the mixture is fragrant.rnrnRemove the foil from the baking-dish, and drizzle the garlic butter evenly over the dressing. Bake in the oven for another 15 min until the top is crispy and browned.
7. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

oyster, butter, bacon, shallot, garlic, thyme, fresh sage, nutmeg, clove, porcini, brandy, chicken, oyster, salt, bread, oysters, tabasco sauce, butter, clove of garlic, sage, ground black pepper

Taken from food52.com/recipes/25116-red-hot-oyster-and-kimchi-stuffing (may not work)