As Caesar Salad has nothing to do with the Caesars, so Oysters Rockefeller has nothing to do with the Rockefellers. It is in fact the creation of Jules Alciatore, the son of Antoine Alciatore, the chef whose New Orleans restaurant, Antoine's is, according to their web site, "the country's oldest family run restaurant." According to legend, it was 1899 when Jules, who had inherited the restaurant from his father, was looking for a dish to replace the escargots (snails) which were expensive to import from France. He hit on the idea of using the locally produced oysters in a manner different from the usual way of serving them raw. The recipe he invented quickly became the most popular dish at the restaurant.
Well then, what is it and why is it called "oysters Rockefeller?" First, it is an appetizer consisting of oysters on the half shell, placed on a bed of rock salt so that the shells will not move on the pan while in the oven. The oysters are then baked covered with a rich greenish sauce. It's that word "rich" that evoked the name Rockefeller, as John D. was reputed to be the richest man in America at that time. The dish is therefore "as rich as Rockefeller," a phrase later evoked in the popular lyric written by Dorothy Fields to a tune of the Depression days by Jimmy McHugh. The song is "The Sunny Side of the Street" and the lyric goes, "If I never had a cent,/ I'd be rich as Rockefeller,/ Gold dust at my feet,/ on the sunny side of the street."
And gold dust the original recipe certainly is, for it still remains a secret, although it is imitated and approximated by elegant restaurants all over the world. Whether the green tinge of the sauce is parsley, spinach, green onions, celery leaves, chervil, tarragon or a combination of them, is a matter for conjecture. Another ingredient thought to be a part of the original recipe at Antoine's is the French liqueur called Herbsaint, which is green in color and has the taste of licorice. Because Herbsaint is attainable mainly in New Orleans, Pernod or another anise-flavored liqueur is often subsituted. Ground fennel or anise seeds may also be used for the slight licorice taste.
Before the days of the food processor the sauce was made by grinding the mixture of herbs and/or spinach with a mortar until it became a puree. Today, however, the food processor makes light work of that task.
Here, then, is a recipe for Oysters Rockefeller, or, as the menu at Antoine's calls it, Huitres en coquilles a la Rockefeller. This recipe has been presented on culinary television programs and comes from the Bon Appetit magazine of September 1999 and is perfect for the modern home cook.
OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER
2 cups fresh spinach, loosely packed
1 bunch watercress, stems trimmed
1/2 cup chopped green onions
3/4 cup (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons Pernod or other anise-flavored liqueur (optional)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 pound (about) rock salt
24 fresh oysters, shucked, shells reserved
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 450°F. Finely chop garlic in processor. Add spinach, watercress and green onions to garlic. Process, using on/off turns, until mixture is finely chopped. Transfer mixture to medium bowl.
Combine butter, breadcrumbs, Pernod, fennel and hot sauce in processor. Process until well blended. Return spinach mixture to processor. Process, using on/off turns, just until mixtures are blended. Season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle rock salt over large baking sheet to depth of 1/2 inch. Arrange oysters in half shells on top of the rock salt. Top each oyster with 1 tablespoon spinach mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until spinach mixture browns on top, about 8 minutes.
Makes 8 first-course servings.
INTERESTING
LINKS
More
About Oysters Rockefeller
Antoine's
Restaurant, New Orleans