Melissa Clarks Oysters Rockefeller Recipes

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:

• 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 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:

• 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:

• Shock oysters and, with its liquor, put in a small pot. Rinse bottom shells and place them upside down on paper towel; set aside. Add lemon juice, butter, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 3 minutes on medium-low. Drain oysters and reserve. On a baking sheet, spread coarse pickling salt to cover the surface, about ¼" thick. Place shells on salt and set aside.
• In a medium pot over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add celery, garlic and parsley. Cover and cook for 3 minutes at medium-low. Add spinach and season well with pepper. Increase heat to medium, cover and cook 2 minutes. Add cream, cheese (Brie), hot sauce and 1 tablespoons bread crumbs. Mix and cook for 2 minutes; stir constantly. If more cream is needed, add some.
• Place oysters in their shell. Cover with spinach mix and sprinkle with remaining bread crumbs and Grana Padano. Cook under broil for 3-4 minutes.

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.

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.