As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, my mind is on . . . turkey? Don’t make me laugh, or even chuckle. Yes, of course I’m looking forward to that traditional bird with trimmings, but what REALLY gets my heart pounding this year is oysters. Just down the coast from Beaufort runs the May River, source of some of the tastiest oysters I’ve ever had. I’m carrying a quart of them to Charleston tomorrow, where eldest son Caldwell and I will create a bisque that will make you want to slap your daddy, as Ed from The Moralist would have put it. It is an old family recipe, but not from our family. My best friend growing up, the late John Bowditch, fixed it from a secret formula published by his mother in a cookbook, From the Kitchen at the Hornsby House in Yorktown, Virginia. So like many of the foods you will prepare and enjoy this holiday, oyster bisque combines what makes Thanksgiving so special: tradition, family, friends (those with us and those who have passed on) and memorable flavors. From our home to yours, Happy Thanksgiving.
