'Mad Men' Oysters Rockefeller
By: The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook
'Mad Men' Oysters Rockefeller - Photo by Nina Gallant
If you're looking for elegant and fun ways to entertain, try this easy oysters Rockefeller recipe for 'Mad Men' Oysters Rockefeller. Featured in a Season 1 of the hit AMC show, this recipe hails from NYC's Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant.
Notes
This recipe is used by permission from The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook: Inside the Kitchens, Bars, and Restaurants of Mad Men by Judy Gelman and Peter Zheutlin (Smart Pop, 2011).
Serves4
Ingredients
- rock salt
- 2 dozen large (or 3 to 4 dozen small) oysters, opened and on the half shell
- 4 medium shallots (about .25 cup), minced
- 1 small stalk celery, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
- 3/4 cup butter, softened and divided
- 2 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup soft bread crumbs
- 1 to 2 drops Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoon Pernod or Anisette
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees farenheit. Fill 4 pie or cake tins (or a baking dish large enough to hold oysters) with rock salt, but no more than half full (use just enough salt to keep the oysters from rocking back and forth). Place the tins in the oven briefly to warm.
- Prepare the topping: Sauté the shallots, celery, and parsley in 4 tablespoons of butter in a heavy skillet for approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add spinach to the skillet and allow it to wilt for a minute.
- Pour spinach mixture into a blender. Add the remaining butter, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, salt, peppers, and Pernod or Anisette. Blend for a minute at medium speed. Top each oyster with about 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of the mixture, depending on the size of the oyster.
- Remove the tins from the oven and embed the oysters firmly in the hot salt. Return pans to the oven and bake for about 4 minutes, or until the butter is melted and the spinach is lightly browned on top. Serve oysters right in the tin.