Gone Fishin Friday ~ Oysters Rockefeller

How This Delectable Dish Got Its Name

1850 - Antoine Alciatore, the original owner of Antoine's Restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana, made a specialty dish of snails called "snails Bourgignon" which was very popular. The restaurant, located on Rue St. Louis in the New Orleans French Quarter, was opened in 1840, and Antoine's is the country's oldest family-run restaurant. font>
According to Antoine Restaurant's web site:

In 1874, Antoine being in ill-heath, took leave of his family, with the management of the restaurant in his wife's hands. He felt he had not much longer to live and wished to die and be buried in his birthplace in France. He told his wife he did not want her to watch him deteriorate and said as he left; "As I take boat for Marseilles, we will not meet again on earth." He died within the year. 

1899 - When Jules Alciatore took over the business, the taste for snails had subsided, and also there was a shortage of French snails. He wanted to use a local product in order to avoid any difficulty in  procuring it. He choose oysters and adapted the snail recipe in 1899 to use the gulf oysters.
Jules Alciatore is known as a pioneer in the art of cooking oysters (as they were rarely cooked before this time). According to legend, it is said that a customer exclaimed with delight after eating this dish, "Why, this is as rich as Rockefeller!"
The dish was given the name Rockefeller because the green was the color of greenbacks and the whole dish was so rich that he wanted a name that would signify the "richest in the world." The first name to come to his mind was John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937), a name once connoted the absolute pinnacle of wealth and position. No other American dish has received so much praise and attention as Oysters Rockefeller.
The original recipe is a closely-guarded Antoine's secret, though it has been imitated, adapted, and evolved in a host of ways. The original oysters Rockefeller is said to have been made with watercress, not spinach. Jules Alciatore exacted a  promise on his deathbed that the exact proportions be kept a secret forever.

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER:
INGREDIENTS

4 Dozen Raw Oysters	4 Large Cloves of Garlic (minced)
3 Packages chopped frozen spinach	2 Ounces of Pernod or Absinthe
3 Bunches of Green Onions (chopped)	2 Heaping tsp. Anise seed
2 Bunches Flat Parsley (chopped)	3 Tbs. Dark Worchestershire Sauce
4 Ribs Celery (fine dice)	3 Tbs. White Worchestershire Sauce
2 Ounce can Anchovies (mashed to paste)	1 1-2 Cups of bread crumbs
1/2 Pound of butter	1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)
Salt, Red & Black Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Thaw out spinach and squeeze out excess water with hands. Melt butter and saute celery for 5 minutes, add green onions and saute for an additional 2 minutes, and then add parsley and garlic and cook 2 more minutes. After these greens are wilted, stir in drained spinach. (no need to cook spinach any further) Remove pot from stove and add anchovies, Pernod, anise seeds, dark and white Worcestershire sauce, seasonings, parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Blend thoroughly and place a heaping tablespoon on top of the oyster. Mixture should be stiff because oyster will shed some water. Bake 15 -20 minutes in a 350 oven.