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Though the original sauce recipe is a secret, it includes a purée of a number of green vegetables that may or may not include spinach.<ref name="guste"/> Similar versions of the dish have proliferated in New Orleans, with none acclaimed as an accurate duplicate.
Though the original sauce recipe is a secret, it includes a purée of a number of green vegetables that may or may not include spinach.<ref name="guste"/> Similar versions of the dish have proliferated in New Orleans, with none acclaimed as an accurate duplicate.


[[Alton Brown]] of the [[Food Network]] series ''[[Good Eats]]'' states in the episode titled "Shell Game" that Jules Alciatore took the original recipe with him to the grave, and any version of the recipe that exists today is only an assumption, based on descriptions of the original dish. While many have achieved the trademark green color simply using spinach, Antoine's chefs have repeatedly denied that the authentic recipe contains it. A 1986 laboratory analysis by [[William Poundstone]] in ''[[Big Secrets|Bigger Secrets]]'' indicated that the primary ingredients were [[parsley]], pureed and strained [[celery]], [[scallion]]s or [[chive]]s (indistinguishable in a food lab), [[olive oil]], and [[caper]]s.
chef [[Alton Brown]] states in the "Shell Game" episode of his [[Food Network]] series ''[[Good Eats]]'' that Alciatore took his recipe to the grave, and any version since is merely an assumption. While many achieve the sauce's trademark green color simply using spinach, Antoine's chefs have repeatedly denied the dish contains it. A 1986 laboratory analysis by [[William Poundstone]] in ''[[Big Secrets|Bigger Secrets]]'' indicated its primary ingredients were [[parsley]], pureed and strained [[celery]], [[scallion]]s or [[chive]]s (indistinguishable in a food lab), [[olive oil]], and [[caper]]s.


''Pernod Fils absinthe'', a popular [[Victorian era]] inclusion which fell out production in 1915,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pernod.net/histoire/once/ow_once_bas.htm |title=Pernod : A Long Heritage: Key Dates |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090602131044/http://www.pernod.net/histoire/once/ow_once_bas.htm |archivedate=2 June 2009 |publisher=[[Pernod]] |accessdate=12 June 2011}}</ref> is a possible original ingredient. [[Malcolm Hébert]], native Louisianan, cookbook author and wine and food editor, decries spinach, and adds the [[anise]]-flavored liqueur [[Herbsaint]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gumbopages.com/food/app/erstas-rock.html |title=Oysters Rockefeller |first=Chuck |last=Taggart |publisher=The Gumbo Pages |accessdate=13 June 2011}}</ref> It is not possible that Herbsaint was in the original recipe, as Herbsaint debuted in 1934; nor Pernod Fils anise liqueur, which did not appear until after the First World War.
''Pernod Fils absinthe'', a popular [[Victorian era]] inclusion which fell out production in 1915,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pernod.net/histoire/once/ow_once_bas.htm |title=Pernod : A Long Heritage: Key Dates |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090602131044/http://www.pernod.net/histoire/once/ow_once_bas.htm |archivedate=2 June 2009 |publisher=[[Pernod]] |accessdate=12 June 2011}}</ref> is a possible original ingredient.{{cn}} [[Malcolm Hébert]], native Louisianan, cookbook author and wine and food editor, decries spinach, and adds the [[anise]]-flavored liqueur [[Herbsaint]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gumbopages.com/food/app/erstas-rock.html |title=Oysters Rockefeller |first=Chuck |last=Taggart |publisher=The Gumbo Pages |accessdate=13 June 2011}}</ref> It is not possible that Herbsaint was in the original recipe, as Herbsaint debuted in 1934; nor Pernod Fils anise liqueur, which did not appear until after the First World War.


Oysters Rockefeller is a popular restaurant [[appetizer]] throughout the United States, and is served as a [[brunch]] dish in the [[Southern United States|South]].<ref name="Ternikar 2014 p. 3">{{cite book | last=Ternikar | first=F. | title=Brunch: A History | publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers | series=The Meals Series | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-4422-2943-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BukLBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA3 | page=3}}</ref>
Oysters Rockefeller is a popular restaurant [[appetizer]] throughout the United States, and is served as a [[brunch]] dish in the [[Southern United States|South]].<ref name="Ternikar 2014 p. 3">{{cite book | last=Ternikar | first=F. | title=Brunch: A History | publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers | series=The Meals Series | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-4422-2943-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BukLBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA3 | page=3}}</ref>

Revision as of 13:14, 17 September 2017

Oysters Rockefeller
CourseHors d'oeuvre, Entrée[1]
Place of originUnited States
Region or stateNew Orleans
Main ingredientsOysters

Oysters Rockefeller consists of oysters on the half-shell that have been topped with various other ingredients (often parsley and other green herbs, a rich butter sauce and bread crumbs) and are then baked or broiled.

History

Oysters Rockefeller was created in 1899 at the New Orleans restaurant Antoine's by Jules Alciatore, son of founder Antoine Alciatore.[2] Jules developed the dish due to a shortage of escargot, substituting the locally available oysters. The recipe remains unchanged, with an estimated three and a half million orders having been served.[2]

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had Oysters Rockefeller at Antoine's in 1937. Mayor Robert Maestri commented to Roosevelt "How you like dem erstas?", as the national press transcribed Maestri's Yat accent.[3]

The dish was named Oysters Rockefeller after John D. Rockefeller, the then wealthiest American, for its extreme richness.[2] It consists of oysters on the half-shell topped with a green sauce and bread crumbs, then baked or broiled.[citation needed] Though the original sauce recipe is a secret, it includes a purée of a number of green vegetables that may or may not include spinach.[2] Similar versions of the dish have proliferated in New Orleans, with none acclaimed as an accurate duplicate.

chef Alton Brown states in the "Shell Game" episode of his Food Network series Good Eats that Alciatore took his recipe to the grave, and any version since is merely an assumption. While many achieve the sauce's trademark green color simply using spinach, Antoine's chefs have repeatedly denied the dish contains it. A 1986 laboratory analysis by William Poundstone in Bigger Secrets indicated its primary ingredients were parsley, pureed and strained celery, scallions or chives (indistinguishable in a food lab), olive oil, and capers.

Pernod Fils absinthe, a popular Victorian era inclusion which fell out production in 1915,[4] is a possible original ingredient.[citation needed] Malcolm Hébert, native Louisianan, cookbook author and wine and food editor, decries spinach, and adds the anise-flavored liqueur Herbsaint.[5] It is not possible that Herbsaint was in the original recipe, as Herbsaint debuted in 1934; nor Pernod Fils anise liqueur, which did not appear until after the First World War.

Oysters Rockefeller is a popular restaurant appetizer throughout the United States, and is served as a brunch dish in the South.[6]

  • Oysters Rockefeller
    Oysters Rockefeller
  • Oysters Rockefeller topped with bacon
    Oysters Rockefeller topped with bacon
  • Oysters Rockefeller heavily broiled
    Oysters Rockefeller heavily broiled

See also

References

  1. ^ Howard Mitcham (1992). Creole Gumbo and All That Jazz: A New Orleans Seafood Cookbook. Pelican Publishing. p. 46. ISBN 0882898701.
  2. ^ a b c d Guste, Roy F., Jr. (1980). Antoine's Restaurant Cookbook, Since 1840. New York: W. W. Norton & Co. p. 32. ISBN 0-393-02666-3. Retrieved 13 June 2011.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Campanella, Catherine. "1937 - FDR in New Orleans". New Orleans History -- Lake Pontchartrain. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  4. ^ "Pernod : A Long Heritage: Key Dates". Pernod. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  5. ^ Taggart, Chuck. "Oysters Rockefeller". The Gumbo Pages. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  6. ^ Ternikar, F. (2014). Brunch: A History. The Meals Series. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-4422-2943-3.
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