Huitres Rockefeller

This is the greatest oyster recipe of all!  Oysters Rockefeller is a famous Antoine's Of New Orleans recipe.  The original recipe has never been publicized and it is a secret.  The original Oysters Rockefeller has no spinach in it at all.  The greens are a mix of wild dandelion, dock, chicory, poke sallet, and mustard greens.  That makes for a much richer flavor than spinach!
     Recipe:  Very finely mince an equal amount each of these greens:  dandelion greens, mustard greens, dock greens, poke sallet greens and chicory greens.  You should have a total amount of about 2 large handfuls of mixed finely minced greens to make enough topping for 6 oysters.  Most of these greens are wild summer greens that most people mistakenly call weeds.  A stroll through a pristine meadow is a good way to find some of these greens. 
     When the greens mixture is chopped to a finely minced puree, place it in a mixing bowl. 
     Add 2 minced garlic cloves.
     Add a minced small shallot.
     Add a pinch of ground fennel seed.
     Add 2 pinches of tarragon leaf.
     Add a few pinches of chopped parsley. 
     Add about 8 pats of unsalted softened butter.  (The amount of butter should be one third of the amount of pureed greens.) 
     Add an amount of fine bread crumbs equal to half of the amount of greens. 
     Add sea salt and black pepper. 
     Add a fresh squeeze of lemon juice. 
     Add a little dab of anchovy paste. 
     Add a generous splash of French Absinthe du Provence Liquor.  (Anisette, Sambucca or Ouzo can be be substituted for Absinthe.  French Pernod is an absinthe.  Swiss absinthe is of the highest quality too.  Absinthe is dry anise flavor like Ouzo or Pernod, but it has a bitter wormwood overtone flavor.) 
     Mix the ingredients together till a thick buttery dark green paste is formed. 
     Spoon some of the Rockefeller green mix on each shucked oyster on the half shell. 
     Drizzle a little more absinthe over the stuffed oysters. 
     Sprinkle a tiny amount of grated parmesan cheese on top of the greens mixture on each oyster. 
     Bake the oysters on a rock salt bedded plate or on a baking pan in a 400 degree oven. 
     The Oysters Rockefeller is done cooking when the cheese turns a light brown color. 
     Place the oysters on a plate garnished with escarole and lemon wedges or serve on the hot rock salt bedded plate.
     The flavor of a real Oysters Rockefeller is very rich!  Buttery, anise, tarragon, fennel flavors with the great aroma of cooked wild greens!  Spinach Rockefeller toppings taste very bland when compared to how the original mixed wild greens recipe tasted.  This recipe is as close to the original Antoine's secret Oysters Rockefeller recipe as it can be.  The flavor is so much better than bastardized creamed spinach or hollandaise sauce versions of this recipe.  If restaurant menu says Oysters Rockefeller with a spinach, hollandaise or mornay, then I don't order the oysters.  Once you taste the original recipe, nothing else will be satisfactory.  This is the best of classic oyster recipes!  Delicious!  ...  Shawna