We know so much about oysters Rockefeller — and so very, very little.
Those who study such things, for instance, generally agree on the origins of the dish. Culinary historians with few exceptions say that Jules Alciatore of the New Orleans institution Antoine’s adopted it from a popular item called snails Bourgignon in 1899. The name, they point out, referenced the richest man in America at the time, Nelson Rockefeller.
As for the original recipe …
Well, scores of intrepid researchers have scoured every scrap tossed from Antoine’s kitchen, stitched together every word uttered publicly by an Alciatore descendent and devoted enough test kitchen calculus to frighten off Alan Turing, the guy who cracked Germany’s code in World War Two.
OK, OK — the pursuit of Antoine’s recipe has been a bit less persistent, but also less effective. Famed food writer John Mariani claims the dish involves watercress, scallions, celery, anise and “other seasonings.” But in a expose published just a decade after the invention of oysters Rockefeller, a Canadian writer listed shallots, parsley, tarragon, butter and walnuts. Many other investigations mention spinach.
It’s possible to find many other combinations in cookbooks over the years — which, of course, leaves chefs an opportunity to make the classic appetizer their own.
“I can tell you what we do,” said Matt Young, chef at the Saw Shop Gallery Bistro in Kelseyville, refusing to join in the mystery.
The Saw Shop interpretation includes spinach, Parmigiano Reggiano, bacon, heavy cream and a splash of Sambuca reduced over gulf oysters.
Yes bacon, cream and the natural wealth of shellfish — an entire vault of fatty savor in a small shell.
“How can you go wrong with that?” Young said of the richness. “This is our spin on it.”
The mannered mineral flavor of the oysters wallow blissfully in an opulent broth — plush, buttery and meaty, with a soothing trail of smoke. The oysters simmer under cover, capturing and intensifying the natural elements. Young and his crew also use the cheese deftly to inflect an oceanic salinity normally missing from gulf shellfish, leaving a welcome glimmer of a morning breeze fluttering across the bay.
Spinach is often dismissed as something merely contributing a little color. And it does indeed break up the gunmetal monotony. But Young also considers it essential to the composition. In between the foundation of shellfish, bacon and cream and the final snap of anise from the liqueur, spinach opens temporal flavors to soaring sky. The sweetgrass character of the greens blends into the creamier notes. Yet the bitter hint leads toward the sharper highlight of Sambuca — an aromatic pinch that seems to absolve all the luxuries of the dish.
The Saw Shop’s oysters Rockefeller reminds you why the staff at Antoine’s would feel compelled to guard the recipe so closely — and why clever chefs feel no need to crack the code when they can just make it their own.
After all, the pages of restaurant lore are stocked with vaguely similar recipes. Oysters Bienville, for example, involves Bechamel and sherry. Oysters a la Florentine rest in a Mornay.
The oysters Rockefeller at the Saw Shop will still any discussion.
“This has worked for us,” Young explained. “It’s a rich and fulfilling dish.”
Of course, Young can’t help but look beyond, especially as spring approaches.
“When we start getting local produce we may start running oysters casino,” he said.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
