I was looking through my cookbooks for some interesting hot appetizers. I came across “Oysters Rockefeller.” I assumed it was a dish created by or for the very wealthy Rockefeller family. To my surprise, just as Caesar Salad has nothing to do with the Caesars, Oysters Rockefeller has nothing to do with the Rockefellers. This dish was the creation of Jules Alciatore, the son of Antoine Alciatore, and the chef who created the New Orleans restaurant, Antoine's. In 1899, Jules had inherited the restaurant from his father. He was looking for a dish to replace the escargots (snails) which were too expensive to import from France. He had the idea of using the locally produced oysters.

The usual way of serving them was raw. The recipe he invented quickly became the most popular dish at the restaurant.

It is an appetizer consisting of oysters on the half shell, placed on a bed of rock salt so that the shells will not move on the pan while in the oven. The oysters are then baked covered with a rich greenish sauce. It's that word “rich” that evoked the name Rockefeller. John D. was said to be the richest man in America at that time. The dish is therefore “as rich as Rockefeller.” In the song “The Sunny Side of the Street” there is a lyric that goes, “If I never had a cent, / I'd be rich as Rockefeller,/ Gold dust at my feet,/ on the sunny side of the street.”

The original recipe was goldust. It is still a secret. Elegant restaurants imitate it all over the world. No one knows whether the green color of the sauce is parsley, spinach, green onions, celery leaves, chervil, tarragon or a combination. Another ingredient thought to be a part of the original recipe at Antoine's is the French liqueur called Herbsaint, which is green in color and has the taste of licorice. Pernod or another anise-flavored liqueur is often subsituted. Ground fennel or anise seeds may also be used for the slight licorice taste.

Here, is a recipe for Oysters Rockefeller, or, as the menu at Antoine's calls it, Huitres en coquilles a la Rockefeller. This recipe has been presented on culinary television programs, comes from the Bon Appetit magazine of September 1999 and is perfect for the home cook. Enjoy.

This column has been a collaborative effort between Auburn natives chef Max Hitchcock and his mother, Susan Silverman. They can be reached at Birdscapes@adelphia.net

Oysters Rockefeller

Makes 8 first-course servings

1 garlic clove

2 cups fresh spinach, loosely packed

1 bunch watercress, stems trimmed

1/2 cup chopped green onions

3/4 cup (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons Pernod or other anise-flavored liqueur (optional)

1 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 pound (about) rock salt

24 fresh oysters, shucked, shells reserved

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Finely chop garlic in processor. Add spinach, watercress and green onions to garlic. Process, using on/off turns, until mixture is finely chopped. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Combine butter, breadcrumbs, Pernod, fennel and hot sauce in processor. Process until well blended. Return spinach mixture to processor. Process, using on/off turns, just until mixtures are blended. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle rock salt over large baking sheet to depth of 1/2 inch. Arrange oysters in half shells on top of the rock salt. Top each oyster with 1-tablespoon spinach mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until spinach mixture browns on top, about 8 minutes.