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SOUP’S ON!

and decided that, baked, they would make a suitable substitute. To complement the bivalves, Alciatore created a sauce heavy in butter, green vegetables and herbs. Sensing that the rich dish was so much more than the sum of its buttery parts, he named it after what he felt was the appropriate human equivalent — John D. Rockefeller, who at the time was one of the wealthiest men in the world. Since its inception, the dish has been replicated and re-created all over the world, but the owners at the country’s oldest continu- ously operating family restaurant have kept the recipe a closely guarded secret, and they insist that no spinach is included.

CREAMY, RICH AND LACED WITH THE SLIGHT- EST TOUCH OF ANISE, OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER ARE AN EXERCISE IN DECADENCE. The elegant baked oyster dish, which was invented at the historic French Quarter restaurant Antoine’s and ultimately achieved international fame, can thank its creator for originating one of the country’s most iconic culinary creations. Jules Alciatore, the son of the restaurant’s founder Antoine Alciatore, first conceived of the oyster specialty in 1889. Taking note of the shortage of snails coming in from France, he looked to the southern waters and noted the abundance of Gulf oysters,

3 tablespoons flour 1 pint heavy whipping cream 1 ounce Herbsaint or Pernod ½ cup tomato sauce 2 teaspoons sugar 1 ounce Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons hot sauce Salt, white pepper and black pepper to taste Rock salt HOW TO PREP Directions for making the sauce Preheat oven to 325°F. Melt the butter over medium-high heat and sauté the onion, celery, garlic, bell pepper and green onion until the onions are translucent. Add the parsley and spinach; stir to combine. Cook until heated through. Whisk in the flour, and mix until there are no lumps. Cook for an additional 5 minutes to cook out the taste of the flour. Add the cream and oyster liquor (from the shucked oysters), and stir until fully incorporated. Stir in the Herbsaint, tomato sauce, sugar, Worcestershire and hot sauce, and simmer until the sauce has thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Directions for topping and cooking the oysters Place the rock salt in a baking pan, and nestle each oyster on the half shell in the salt. Spoon the desired amount of topping onto the shucked oysters. Place the pan of oysters on the center rack of the oven, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside for a few minutes to cool slightly before serving.

Chef Marc’s Oyster Rockefeller Soup Prepare Oysters Rockefeller (recipe below) with the following substitu- tions: Substitute ½ pound butter for the ¼ pound butter. Substitute ½ cup flour for the 3 tablespoons flour. After you add the cream and oyster liquor, add 1½ quarts chicken stock and stir. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes to let the flavors marry. Add 2 pints of shucked oysters to the soup, and gently simmer for 3 to 5 minutes before serving. Oysters Rockefeller WHAT YOU WILL NEED 1 dozen oysters, shucked, reserving oyster liquor and shells ¼ pound butter 3/4 cup onion , diced ¼ cup bell pepper , diced ¾ cup celery , diced

Executive chef Michael Regua, a New Orleans native, has been with the historic Antoine’s Restau- rant — the birthplace of oysters Rockefeller — for over 40 years. He started out as a cook and worked his way up the line at America’s oldest family-run restaurant. In his years with Antoine’s, Michael has prepared meals for presidents, heads of state, celebrities — even a pope.

2 tablespoons garlic , minced 1 bunch green onions , sliced 20 ounces spinach (frozen), thawed and drained (reserve spinach liquid) ¼ cup parsley , chopped

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