As I know I am, I have an Irish New Year's recipe that is to be served on New Year's Eve. I am not sure about the symbolism behind the items, but I do know that if taken with the right amount of Guinness, one is sure to feel fine with the coming of the New Year.

This is the menu for New Year's Eve dinner at the Hunter's Hotel in Rathnew, County Wicklow.

Grilled Oysters

Leek Soup

Stuffed Goose

Apricot Mousse

(Serves Six)

Since goose hunting is illegal here in Washington as the Canadian Geese are endangered, and leeks are often subsituted with onions, I decided only to prepare the oysters. Also, they are the closest thing to testes I could come up with.

Grilled Oysters

Serve with lemon wedges, freshly made brown bread and butter, and a glass of Guinness.

24 large oysters in the shell
4 tablespoons (2oz/60g) butter, plus butter for serving
2 tps Worchestershire sauce (brown sauce works just as well)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Brown bread for serving
6 lemon wedges

Shuck the oysters. Arrange the oysters in their deeper half shells on a broiler pan.

Preheat the broiler. in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the 4 tps of butter and stir in the Worchestershire sauce. Pour 1 tps of the sauce over each oyster and season with salt and pepper. Place the pan under the preheated broiler and broil until the oysters begin to curl at the edges. Serve immediately with brown bread and butter. Garnish with lemon wedges.

[TIP] In case the oysters are too tough to shuck, a good idea is to put them under the broiler until the shells begin to open up. That way the knife is easier to slip in and cut the muscle.