Oysters Rockefeller Deconstructed Food

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Prepare a baking dish with a generous layer of rock salt.
• Set a large skillet over medium heat, add the butter and let it melt. Add the olive oil, garlic and shallots and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the chopped spinach and toss with the garlic and shallots. Add the Parmesan, anise-flavored liqueur, breadcrumbs and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper and cook for another 3 minutes.
• Spoon about a tablespoon of the spinach mixture onto each oyster and nestle the oysters into the rock salt. Bake until the topping is crisp and brown, about 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
• Clean oysters and place in a large stockpot. Pour in enough water to cover oysters; bring the water and oysters to a boil. Remove from heat and drain and cool oysters. When cooled break the top shell off of each oyster.
• Using a food processor, chop the bacon, spinach, bread crumbs, green onions, and parsley. Add the salt, hot sauce, olive oil and anise-flavored liqueur and process until finely chopped but not pureed, about 10 seconds.
• Arrange the oysters in their half shells on a pan with kosher salt. Spoon some of the spinach mixture on each oyster. Bake 10 minutes until cooked through, then change the oven's setting to broil and broil until browned on top. Serve hot.

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Add spinach; cook and stir until wilted. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese, lemon juice and pepper. Spread kosher salt into 2 ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pans. Shuck oysters, reserving oyster and its liquid in bottom shell. Lightly press oyster shells down into the salt, using salt to keep oysters level. Top each with 2-1/2 tsp. spinach mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 450° until oysters are plump, 6-8 minutes. Serve immediately.,

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER DECONSTRUCTED

Steps:

• To make bacon chips: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut bacon strips into 4 to 5 diamonds each (10 to 12 total); place on a sheet pan, then place another sheet pan directly on top. Bake until brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Place pieces on a paper towel; pat with another paper towel to dry.
• To make the spinach and watercress garnish: Heat 1/4 pound of butter in a saucepan or deep skillet over medium-high heat until browning and foamy. Add the spinach, watercress and garlic; season well with salt and pepper. Cook just until greens are wilted, about 4 minutes. Let cool, then drain off butter, remove garlic, finely chop and return to pot.
• To make the beurre fondue: Cut remaining butter into 1-inch cubes. Heat 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan until simmering; reduce heat and whisk in butter pieces, one by one, whisking constantly until mixture is smooth and thickened. Turn off the heat, add the lemon slices and steep for about 5 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
• To assemble: Heat beurre fondue to simmering. Warm the spinach mixture and place in 3 neat piles on 4 plates or 5 neat piles on 2 plates. Poach oysters in simmering beurre fondue just until they are warm and the edges begin to curl slightly, about 10 seconds. Place an oyster on each pile of greens. Pour a bit of beurre fondue over each oyster. Top each with a bacon chip. Finely grate licorice root on top and serve.

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER

Steps:

• For the oysters: Melt butter in a skillet. Saute the garlic for 2 minutes to infuse the butter. Place the bread crumbs in a mixing bowl and add half the garlic butter, set aside. To the remaining garlic butter in the skillet, add shallots and spinach, cook for 3 minutes until the spinach wilts. Deglaze the pan with Pernod. Season with salt and pepper, add a dash of red pepper sauce. Allow the mixture to cook down for a few minutes. Finish off the bread crumbs by mixing in olive oil, Parmesan and chervil, season with salt and pepper. Spoon 1 heaping teaspoon of the spinach mixture on each oyster followed by a spoonful of the bread crumb mixture. Sprinkle a baking pan amply with rock salt. Arrange the oysters in the salt to steady them. Bake in a preheated 450 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes until golden. Serve with lemon wedges and red pepper sauce.
• For the sauce: In a small bowl whisk together all ingredients. Cover and chill 1 hour before serving with oysters. Yield: 3/4 cup

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER

Steps:

• Divide half the rock salt between 4 dinner plates, each large enough to hold 6 oysters.
• Distribute the salt evenly on each plate (this is to provide an attractive base on which the curved oyster shells can evenly rest).
• Test with an oyster, placing the more deeply curved shell side down.
• If you need more salt to support the shells, add it; set plates aside.
• Now, divided the remaining salt between two roasting pans, each large enough to hold a dozen oysters in one layer.
• Distribute the salt as you did for the plates (if you run out of salt, you can use dried beans or lightly crumpled foil in the pans).
• Open the top, flat side of the oyster (the deeply curved shell should be on the bottom).
• Retain in each shell as much of the oyster liquor as possible; discard the top shell and free each oyster from its muscle.
• Transfer each oyster in its bottom shell to the salt-lined roasting pans.
• Arrange the oven racks to accommodate both roasting pans and preheat oven to 400°.
• In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat; when the foam begins to subside, add the celery, fennel, scallions, garlic, parsley, watercress, thyme, and a large pinch of kosher salt; cook mixture for 2 minutes, stirring to incorporate ingredients.
• Take pan off heat and transfer mixture to a blender; to blender also add hot sauce, Pernod, a few grindings of pepper, and the bread crumbs.
• Puree the mixture for 2 minutes or until it is uniformly green in color and the texture of a thick milkshake; transfer mixture to a small bowl.
• Place 2 teaspoons puree mixture on top of each oyster if they are medium-size (a little more if they are larger, a little less if they are smaller).
• The mixture should almost, but not quite cover the meat of the oyster.
• Place the roasting pans with the oysters in the oven; cook about 20 minutes or until there is a lively bubbling at the edges of the oysters.
• If your oven has hot spots, rotate the pans 180° after 10 minutes (and if your roasting pans are on different levels, after 10 minutes carefully reverse the bottom and top pans to ensure even cooking).
• When the oysters are done, allow them to cool for 2 minutes, then, wearing rubber gloves or with the help of a large spoon, carefully transfer 6 oysters to each of the salt-line plates; garnish each with a lemon wedge and serve immediately.
• **Alternative cooking method: preheat broiler; place one pan under the broiler until the oysters are bubbling on top, about 3-5 minutes; repeat with the second pan; proceed as directed.