Oysters Rockefeller
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Cook Time:
40 hours
Servings:
12 2 oysters each
Ingredients
  • 6 strips of bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
  • 1 stick butter
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced small
  • 4 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 6 cup spinach, washed and dried
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 tablespoon absinthe or pernod
  • 2 tablespoon fresh parsley, rough chopped
  • tabasco, to taste
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, mixed with 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 2 dozen oysters, shucked
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Heat a sauté pan over medium-low heat, and add the bacon.
  3. Cook until golden brown and crisp.
  4. Using a slotted spoon, remove the crisp bacon from the pan leaving the fat behind.
  5. Add the butter to the pan with the bacon fat, and heat until melted.
  6. Stir in the celery and green onions, and cook until softened.
  7. Add the garlic, and cook an additional 30 seconds or until aromatic.
  8. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for about 1 minute to make a roux.
  9. Stir in the spinach and sauté until cooked down.
  10. Whisk in the milk, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese and absinthe or Pernod, and bring to a boil.
  11. The mixture should be very thick.
  12. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley, Tabasco and reserved crispy bacon.
  13. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  14. Allow the mixture to cool.
  15. Cover each oyster in the half shell with the spinach mixture followed by a sprinkling of breadcrumbs.
  16. Bake the oysters until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.