Little Pigs in Blankets

Evidently, 5 pounds of cake takes a while for two people to eat, but I'm pleased to report that, with some effort, the Beta Taster and I succeeded in eating all five pounds. And I'm now ready for a bit of a break on attempting anything sweet. I also want to make something that neither serves a dozen (so much cake!) nor is supposed to last any length of time. (I don't need to store up on pickled fruits and vegetables to get me through the winter.)

With these factors in mind, I'd like to try a simple little recipe from the Flagstaff Cook Book, first published in 1896 titled "Little Pigs in Blankets." In fact, it's not too much of a recipe; it takes just 2 ingredients.

Pigs in a blanket a la 1896: Oysters and bacon.

Directions were minimal about what to do with the oysters, other than wrap them. So I tried wrapping them on the half shell. Directions were similar vague about cooking. Although the method choices were roast or boil(!) until bacon was browned and crisp. Needless to say, I roasted and guessed an appropriate oven temperature would be about 375 F. 

Roasted oysters with bacon.

Oysters aren't something I have often so this entire enterprise was novel. But I discovered I truly despise trying to eat bits of oyster shell, as I imagine any sane person would. However, I still managed to eat my portion just fine. See.

If I were to do this again (and I certainly will), I'll try removing the shell entirely and wrap just the oyster with bacon. I didn't find the accumulated juices in the shell really added anything but that could be me trying to minimize the chance of shell ingestion. Here's what I did this time:

Pigs in a Blanket

2 oysters

2 slices of bacon

Preheat oven to 375 F. Shuck oysters. Lay bacon on top of oyster and tuck ends under shell. Place in oven and roast about 25 minutes or until bacon is browned. Serve hot.