Baked Oysters Two Ways: Oysters Rockefeller and Oysters Bienville

Baked Oysters Two Ways: Oysters Rockefeller and Oysters Bienville

Jules Alaciatore, the owner of
Antoine’s Restaurant, created the
famous Oysters Rockefeller in
1899. The dish was developed as
a substitute for snails, which were
becoming increasingly difficult to
obtain from France. Alaciatore
wanted to use a shellfish that was
abundant and match it with a
sauce made from local greens.The
resulting dish was so rich that he
decided to name it after the richest
man in America at that time,
John D. Rockefeller. Antoine’s
keeps the original recipe secret
and insists that it contains no
spinach, but most versions today
use spinach in the mix. Herbsaint,
a local New Orleans liqueur developed
as a substitute for absinthe,
provides an anise flavor to
the dish. Pharmacist J. M. Legendre
developed this wormwood-free
liqueur in 1934. (Pernod is an acceptable
substitute.)
The dish Oysters Bienville was
created by Pete Michel and Roy
Alaciatore, both of Antoine’s,
sometime in the 1940s as a tribute
to the memory of Jean Baptiste
le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville,
the adventurer who founded the
city of New Orleans in 1718. Here
the oyster topping is a simple rouxbased
cream sauce (Béchamel)
flavored with bell pepper, mushrooms,
white wine, and cheese.
Many chefs add minced shrimp to
the stuffing, which serves to enrich
it even more.

1⁄4 teaspoon [1 mL] white pepper
1⁄4 teaspoon [1 mL] cayenne
1⁄3 cup [80 mL] mushrooms, chopped
1⁄3 cup [80 mL] grated yellow brick cheese
4 ounces [110 g] cooked shrimp, very heavily seasoned, peeled, and
chopped (see Chef Notes)
2 tablespoons [30 mL] red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, and
chopped
2 tablespoons [30 mL] breadcrumbs
11⁄2 tablespoons [25 mL] grated Romano cheese
Fennel tops, for garnish

A D V A N C E P R E P A R A T I O N
1. For the Rockefeller sauce combine all the ingredients except
the butter, in a food processor and purée very fine. Add the
butter and blend until thoroughly incorporated.
2. Place the herb butter on a baking sheet lined with parchment
and chill to slightly set the mixture until pliable and not hard.
Form the mixture into small oval patties about 21⁄2  2 inches
[6  5 cm] and 1⁄2 inch [1 cm] thick.
3. Wrap in plastic film, refrigerate, and reserve until ready to
cook. (The herb butter can be made 1 day in advance.)
4. For the Bienville sauce melt the butter in a large skillet, sauté
the scallions and garlic until soft, and whisk in the flour to
prevent lumps.
5. Gradually whisk in the cream, milk, stock, wine, and sherry
while stirring. Continue stirring over medium heat until the
sauce thickens. Season with salt, white pepper, and cayenne.
6. Add the mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Add the brick
cheese and stir until melted. Add the shrimp and the red bell
pepper and heat through. Pour the sauce into a shallow baking
dish and allow it to set in the refrigerator for 11⁄2 hours.
7. Mix the breadcrumbs and the Romano cheese together and
reserve.


C H E F N O T E S
Both of these dishes may be
made either from freshly shucked
oysters, or oysters that are preshucked
and then placed into
oyster shells, scallop shells, or
ramekins. If freshly shucking the
oysters, be sure to remove the
oyster to thoroughly scrub the
shell before returning the oyster
to the shell for preparation of the
dish. The shells are broiled on a
bed of rock salt, which stabilizes
the oyster shells and retains the
heat after removal from the oven.
To cook the shrimp for the
Bienville sauce, boil the shrimp in
a fairly concentrated mixture of
Zatarain’s shrimp and crab boil
combined with beer, bay leaves,
thyme, cayenne, lemon, scallions,
and garlic.

OYSTERS
32 large live oysters, shucked, with the deeper halves of the shells
reserved, well scrubbed, or 32 large shucked oysters and 32 oyster
shells, 8 large scallop shells, or 8 ramekins
Shallow baking pans lined with rock salt
ROCKEFELLER SAUCE
11⁄2 cups [360 mL] fresh spinach, cooked in its own moisture
2 minutes and chopped
1⁄4 cup [60 mL] watercress or sorrel leaves, chopped
6 tablespoons [90 mL] scallions, including green tops, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
11⁄2 tablespoons [25 mL] celery leaves, minced
2 tablespoons [30 mL] flat-leaf parsley, chopped
11⁄2 tablespoons [25 mL] chopped fennel greens
1 heaping tablespoon [20 mL] fresh basil, chiffonade
1⁄4 teaspoon [1 mL] dried marjoram
11⁄2 tablespoons [25 mL] anchovies, minced, or anchovy paste
1⁄2 teaspoon [3 mL] salt
1⁄4 teaspoon [1 mL] white pepper
1⁄4 teaspoon [1 mL] cayenne
11⁄2 tablespoons [25 mL] Herbsaint or Pernod liqueur
4 ounces [110 g] unsalted butter, softened
OYSTERS BIENVILLE
4 ounces [110 g] unsalted butter
1⁄2 cup [120 mL] scallions, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1⁄4 cup [60 mL] sifted all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup [120 mL] heavy cream
6 tablespoons [90 mL] milk
2 tablespoons [30 mL] very rich chicken stock
1⁄4 cup [60 mL] white wine
1⁄2 tablespoon [8 mL] dry sherry
1⁄2 teaspoon [3 mL] salt

C O O K I N G M E T H O D
8. For the Oysters Rockefeller, place each oyster in a half shell
and top with an herb-butter patty. Arrange the oysters, four
to a prepared pan with rock salt, and bake at 500°F [260°C]
for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce bubbles and the edges
of the oyster begin to curl. Note: If using scallop shells or
ramekins, each should contain four oysters.
9. For the Oysters Bienville, place each oyster in a half shell and
top with 11⁄2 tablespoons [25 mL] of the Bienville sauce. Sprinkle
the sauce lightly with the breadcrumb mixture. Arrange
the oysters on a bed of rock salt and bake at 500°F [260°C]
for 12 to 15 minutes, or until nicely browned on top.

S E R V I C E
10. Serve 4 oysters per person, all of one type or two of each, on
the rock salt. Garnish the Oysters Rockefeller with fennel
tops.