The Darbys Oysters Rockefeller Food

THE DARBY'S OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Place a strainer over a medium bowl; gently shuck the oysters over the strainer, using the strainer to catch the meat and strain the liquor into the bowl. Reserve the deeper halves of each oyster shell (discarding remaining shells) and scrub clean under cold running water; dry shells and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet; set aside.
• In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallots; season with salt and cool until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in flour. Add Herbsaint and cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Add garlic and anchovies and their oil; stir to combine. Season with salt. Add heavy cream and reserved oyster juices; let cook 1 minute. Stir in spinach, watercress, basil, and tarragon. Cook until mixture thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. If mixture seems too thick, add a little water or heavy cream to thin.
• Place reserved oyster shells in oven and bake until warm, about 2 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix together cheese, panko, and breadcrumbs until well combined; set aside.
• Spoon scant tablespoon spinach mixture into each of the shells and top each with a whole oyster. Top with a little more of the spinach mixture and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Transfer to oven and bake until oysters are warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Preheat broiler. Place oysters under broiler to brown. Garnish with scallions and season with lemon juice; serve immediately.

MELISSA CLARK'S OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the bread crumbs and sauté until they are just a tiny bit golden, about 1 minute or so. Stir in the watercress, parsley, celery and celery leaves, scallions, and garlic. Cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in the Pernod and let it cook off for another minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the capers and a pinch of salt (not too much, those oysters are salty too).
• Preheat the broiler. Fill a baking pan (or two) with a 1/2-inch layer of coarse or rock salt. Lay the oysters on top of the salt. Spoon a little of the sauce mixture on top of the oysters. Broil until just golden, about 2 minutes. Serve hot.

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:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the bread crumbs and sauté until they are just a tiny bit golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the spinach, parsley, shallot and garlic. Cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in a small pinch of salt.
• Finely grate 1/2 teaspoon zest from the lemon and add it to the bread crumb mixture. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze out 1 tablespoon of the juice; mix into the pan.
• Heat the broiler to high. Fill a baking pan (or two) with a 1/2-inch layer of salt or line the pan with crumbled up foil (to steady the oysters so the juices don't spill). Lay the oysters on top of the salt or foil. Spoon about 1/2 tablespoon of the sauce mixture on top of the oysters. Broil until just golden, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve hot, with a squeeze of lemon on top, if you like.