Oysters are synonymous with celebration, but there's no need to save them for a special occasion. This elegant appetizer is the perfect beginning for a romantic dinner for two. These plump fresh oysters baked with a delicate almond, leek, and pancetta topping served with a glass of sparkling wine, you'll think you are dining in a five star restaurant.

Ingredients

*make your own almond flour by grinding a few almonds at a time in a coffee grinder. No almonds, no problem, just substitute bread crumbs.

Thank you to Beth Dunham from Beth Dunham Photography for creating this recipe. For more great recipes like this follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!

Preheat the oven to 450F.
In a shallow baking dish, make six small piles of coarse salt. The salt will hold the irregular oyster shells level during the baking process. Don't despair if you don't have any coarse salt on hand. It's not necessary, you can also crumple tinfoil into little nests to hold the oysters upright.
Shuck the oysters, and discard the flat top shell.
Nestle the oysters in their shells atop the mounds of salt, and start to prepare the topping.
In a small skillet, over medium high heat sauté the minced leeks in the olive oil until translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the pancetta and cook, stirring frequently until the leeks start to lightly brown around the edges and the pancetta becomes crisp.
Add the white wine and increase the heat to high in order to deglaze the pan and reduce the wine. Stir constantly until the liquid has reduced by about half. This will only take a couple of minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the almond flour, chives, and paprika. Mix until everything is combined.
Top each oyster with a heaping tablespoon of the leek and pancetta mixture and little drizzle of olive oil.
Bake until the edges of the oysters start to curl and the topping is lightly browned, about 6-9 minutes depending on the size of your oysters.

Thank you to Chrissie Baker from The Busy Baker for creating this recipe. For more great recipes like this follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease a medium baking dish with 1 teaspoon olive oil and pour the tomato sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.
Combine the panko crumbs with the grated Parmesan, the basil, the oregano, the garlic powder, and the sea salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
Shuck the oysters, rinsing them carefully after they’ve been removed from their shells and patting them dry using some paper towel.
Dip each of the oysters in the beaten egg and then into the panko mixture, making sure they’re coated as thickly as possible in the panko mixture.
Set the coated oysters gently into the tomato sauce, arranging them evenly in the baking dish. Nestle the oysters into the sauce and sprinkle everything with the remaining 2-3 Tablespoons of Parmesan cheese.
Bake the oysters uncovered at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 22-26 minutes, or until the panko and parmesan mixture begins to brown slightly.
Cook the linguine to al dente according to the package directions, making sure to salt the water well with the Tablespoon of sea salt before cooking.
Drain the pasta and toss with the olive oil, chopped parsley, minced garlic and sea salt and pepper.
Scoop the oysters and sauce out of the baking dish with a large spoon and serve over the fresh pasta.
Garnish with some more fresh parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese, if desired.