Pan-Fried Oysters with Tangy Crème Fraîche

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons canola oil 
• 3 tablespoons crème fraîche 
• 0.7 cup cooking wine dry white
• 2.3 teaspoons fish roe 
• 2 teaspoons thyme leaves fresh
• 0.7 cup panko bread crumbs (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 0.3 cup shallots chopped
• 18 large oysters in shells fresh
• 1  tarragon sprig 
• 2  thyme sprigs 
• 1 tablespoon citrus champagne vinegar 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sauce pan
• oven
• whisk
• sieve
• cheesecloth

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 17
2. Carefully shuck oysters over a small, heavy saucepan. Sever oyster meat from shells; remove oysters from shells into a fine-mesh sieve set over pan, capturing oyster liquor in pan.
3. Place oysters in a small bowl; chill. Discard top halves of shells. Scrape adductor muscle from bottom halves of shells; discard muscle. Scrub bottom halves of shells clean. Arrange bottom halves of shells on a jelly-roll pan; place in oven.
4. Add wine and next 4 ingredients (through tarragon) to saucepan with oyster liquor, and cook over medium heat for 9 minutes or until reduced to 3 tablespoons. Strain through a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth, and discard solids.
5. Whisk crme frache into liquid. Keep warm.
6. Place panko in a shallow dish.
7. Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
8. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Dredge 9 oysters in panko; shake off excess. Arrange coated oysters in a single layer in pan; saut 2 minutes on each side or until golden.
9. Remove oysters from pan, and place 1 cooked oyster in each of 9 warm shells. Keep warm. Repeat the procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 9 oysters, panko, and shells. Top each oyster with 1 1/2 teaspoons sauce and 1/8 teaspoon caviar.
10. Sprinkle with thyme leaves; serve immediately.