1/4 c. white seedless raisins, finely chopped
2/3 c. Sauternes
30 oysters in the shell
2 lb. leeks
1/4 c. plus 1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
3/4 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. heavy cream
8 drops hot red pepper sauce
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
Salt

Soak raisins in 1/3 cup Sauternes overnight. Scrub oyster shells; shuck over bowl with sieve in it lined with cheesecloth. Free muscle of oyster from shell and keep oyster on half shell (using deeper of the 2 halves).

Thoroughly clean leeks. Cut into pieces the length of the oyster shell, about 2 inches. Cut pieces into julienne strips. Toss in 2 tablespoons melted butter and place in baking dish in shallow layer in a low oven to sweat leeks, not color, until soft and no longer raw-tasting. Turn off heat but leave leeks in oven to keep warm.

In a small saucepan, melt remaining butter (except for 1 tablespoon) over medium-low heat. Add flour and stir constantly until mixture becomes golden, about 4 minutes. Add chicken stock, 1/3 cup reserved oyster liquor, and remaining 1/3 cup Sauternes. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add heavy cream and red pepper sauce and simmer another 2-3 minutes. Whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add lemon juice and season with salt.

NOTE: Amount of salt will depend on how salty oyster liquor is.

Drain raisins. To assemble, place about 1 teaspoon julienne of leek in bottom of each oyster shell. Sprinkle a few raisins on top of each shell with leeks. Place one oyster in each shell. Spoon enough sauce over each oyster to completely cover leeks and oyster.

To serve, heat broiler. Place oysters either on individual oven-proof plates or in a baking pan. Broil 4 inches from heat for about 30 seconds or until topping begins to turn golden and bubbly. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.