Celebrating with fat

By DONNA PIERCE

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

I don’t think twice about celebrating Mardi Gras with fried oysters and garlicky mayonnaise sauce. After all, we’re not celebrating Low-Fat Tuesday. And isn’t the whole point of celebrating the holiday a last chance to get the good life out of our systems before the solemn days of Lent?

I come from a family who plans a Mardi Gras menu with the same attention it might devote to selecting a final meal before facing a firing squad. Thus, this decadent (and incredibly delicious) hollowed-out bread loaf buttered and stuffed with crisp fried oysters always plays a big part in our Mardi Gras celebration.

You can make your oyster loaf by using French or Italian bread for more oysters than bread to the bite. But hey! On Fat Tuesday, I choose to let the good times roll with the old-fashioned rich version made with Creole pain de mie (sliced white bread) or Pullman bread.

OYSTER LOAF

1 uncut loaf of good-quality white bread, such as a Pullman loaf or brioche

1⁄2 stick butter, softened

1 bottle (32 ounces) peanut oil

1 1⁄2 cups flour

1⁄2 cup cracker meal or finely ground saltine crackers

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 pound shucked oysters

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. To create a hollowed-out bread box for the oyster loaf, cut a rectangle out of the center of the loaf, leaving a 1⁄2-inch border all around. Slice and remove the top crust off the rectangle; set top crust aside. (Reserve the remaining bread for another use.) Butter the insides and bottom of the bread box; set aside.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, combine the flour, cracker meal, salt and pepper to taste on a plate; dredge an oyster in the flour mixture, coating completely. Add to the oil; repeat quickly with remaining oysters, being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook until oysters brown and float to the top, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-covered plate to drain.

Place the fried oysters in the bread box; cover with top crust. Wrap in foil. Bake until butter melts, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven. Set aside 5 minutes; slice gently.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Nutrition information per serving: 292 calories, 48 percent of calories from fat, 15 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 89 mg cholesterol, 26 g carbohydrates, 12 g protein, 526 mg sodium, 1 g fiber