Oysters Rockefeller White House Food

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Moisten the breadcrumbs with a little bit of olive oil.
• Shuck the oysters: There is a top flat "lid" and a bottom cupped shell for each oyster. Insert the tip of an oyster knife into the hinge where the two shells come together in a point. Twist until the lid pops open. Pull the knife out and wipe it clean so you don't get mud in the oyster. Insert the knife back into the oyster from the opposite side of the hinge, lightly scraping against the top shell to disconnect the muscle. Then go under the oyster to cut the muscle on the bottom. Flip the oyster over onto the prettier side.
• Top each oyster with a teaspoon of the creamed spinach, a piece of bacon and a bit of the breadcrumbs. On a baking sheet, create a small mound of coarse salt for each oyster to prevent them from tipping over. Nestle the oysters in the salt mounds, and bake until the bacon is cooked and the breadcrumbs browned.
• Transfer the baked oysters to a serving platter and garnish with a sprinkle of fennel pollen. If desired, garnish with grated horseradish and a drizzle of smoked olive oil. Serve with lemon wedges.
• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the spinach. As soon as it's wilted and tender, drain and run under cold water. When the spinach is cool enough to handle, squeeze out any excess water. If you have used whole spinach with long stems, roughly chop it; you should have 1 1/2 cups of chopped spinach.
• Finely mince the fennel and onion. Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat and glaze it with the olive oil. Add the fennel, onion, garlic and a few pinches of salt, and cook until the onion is translucent; you don't want it to brown. Add the flour and stir. When the flour has gathered up all the onion mixture, add the Herbsaint and bring to a boil. Let it reduce by half before stirring in the milk to make a bechamel. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook at a low simmer until the sauce thickens to the point where it coats the back of a spoon, and where drawing your finger down the spoon leaves a clear line.
• Pour half of the bechamel into a blender along with 1/2 cup of the spinach. Blend until completely smooth. Add the remaining spinach to the pan with the remaining bechamel, then add the spinach puree. Heat, stirring, and season with salt and pepper. Finish by stirring in the butter, nutmeg and Parmesan.

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°F (230°C).
• Fill 4 tin pie plates with rock salt and arrange oysters on the half shell on each.
• In a skillet heat the butter, add the parsley, celery, shallots and garlic and cook 3 minutes.
• Add the watercress and fennel and cook until the watercress wilts, about 1 minute.
• Pour the mixture into the container of a food processor and add the remaining ingredients.
• Blend until the sauce is thoroughly pureed.
• Place 1 Tbs of the sauce on each oyster and spread to the rim of the shell.
• Bake the oysters just until the sauce bubbles, about 4 minutes.

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER

Steps:

• In a food processor or blender, mix the anchovies and the white wine to create an anchovy paste. Set aside.
• Heat a large stockpot over low heat and saute the spinach in the butter until wilted, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, shallot, anchovy paste, fennel, parsley, green onions, and Pernod. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat and let it stand for 1 to 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Put the oysters on a baking sheet and add about 1 tablespoon of the spinach mixture to each oyster. Spread the mixture evenly and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until the topping is browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

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