Love Foods
About Love Foods and aphrodisiacs
Oysters:
The greatest of all aphrodisiacs, oysters symbolize vitality and passion forall those who indulge. Since the time of the Roman Empire oysters have enjoyed a randy reputation, which has only increased over time. What is it about oysters? Casanova is said to have been a firm believer in oysters, eating 50 raw ones every morning in the bath with the lady he fancied at that moment. Oysters have unleashed their powers of seduction on unwitting prey and restores life to lagging libidos. Why do oysters have such an effect on people? Oysters are loaded with zinc, a key ingredient to testosterone production, and therefore sexual performance for both genders. Or is it the texture that resembles parts of the anatomy that are touched in the act of love.
Oysters Rockefeller
(Roy Alciatore's version, from Life magazine's cookbook
Served at the Wedding of
Elvis and Priscilla Presley
about this recipe's history
36 fresh oysters on the half shell
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons finely minced raw spinach
3 tablespoons minced onion
3 tablespoons minced parsley
5 tablespoons bread crumbs
Tabasco sauce to taste
1/2 teaspoon Herbsaint, or substitute Pernod
1/2 teaspoon salt
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add all the ingredients except the oysters. Cook, constantly stirring for 15 minutes. Press the mixture through a sieve or a food mill. Cool. Line six pie tins with rock salt. Set 6 oysters in the rock salt on each pie tin. Divide the topping into 36 equal portions. Place one portion on each oyster. Broil until topping is brown. Serves 6.
About this Recipe
Oysters Rockefeller was created in 1899 by Jules Alciatore, of the famous Antoine's restaurant in New Orleans. The dish is still prepared after the original recipe at the restaurant, and this remains a closedly guarded secret.
Oysters Rockefeller consists of oysters topped with a flavoured puree of greens, and placed under the grill for a few minutes. It is the exact nature of the greens and the various flavourings that is disputed. In fact the only certain ingredient is the oysters!
The standard recipe, as found in Life magazine's The Picture Cookbook, and supplied by Jules' son Roy, contains spinach, but there is considerable doubt amongst afficionados of the real thing, that spinach is an ingredient in the original. Craig Claiborne in his New York Times Cookbook gives two versions, both containing watercress, scallions, parsley, chopped
fennel, garlic, butter, bread crumbs, and Pernod, one also having lettuce, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and anchovy paste
As with so many eponymous dishes, there are a variety of stories to explain the name. One story is that it was called "Rockefeller" to indicate the richness of the ingredients. Alternatively that when he first prepared it, Jules said "That's a dish good enough for Rockefeller). Another story says that Jules created the dish from what was left over in the kitchen at the time - so perhaps he was being ironic. Or of course, it was simply named in honour of the millionaire John D Rockefeller himself.
