imbb 8: the return of the cherry mary, bonus sexy oysters

olga returns.

the 8th edition of IMBB is on, the theme: lift your spirits high! the idea: use wine or spirits as a central component to your recipe.

thought about it, and the only two recipes i have and like that use spirits as a central (actually, *essential*) component, are grilled sea bugs, and cherry marys. couldn't decide which was cuter sexier, so i tossed a coin, and the latter won. so my IMBB entry is a previous post, the cherry mary.

for those of you bored with olga, here's something else:



oysters on the half shell with salmon roe, chives, tiny diced tomato, and wasabi-vodka ice.

the wasabi-vodka ice is made simply by mixing one cup of water with one ounce of wasabi paste (about 2/3rds of a standard sized tube), and the zest of one lime. freeze, using the monkey method, or put into a resealable bag, freeze, and break up any big crystals intermittently. add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of premium vodka, and spoon onto oysters.

revision: i'm still tinkering with the wasabi ice recipe; i'm thinking better results can be had with 1-1 1/2 cups of soda water (fluffier ice), and 1/4 cup of vodka (less melting).