This is one of the delicious dishes I had during my trip to New Orleans for the Isidore Newman school reunion. Jane Casbarian, owner of Arnaud's Restaurant, threw a classy reunion party and we all had so much fun. Jane showed Scooter, Boots, and me how to make Oysters Bienville from her Arnaud's cookbook. Here's the recipe!Oysters Bienville
Serves 8 to 10
1
tablespoon vegetable oil
2/3
cup finely chopped white mushrooms
4
tablespoons (2 ounces, ½ stick) unsalted butter
1-1/2
teaspoons very finely chopped garlic
4
large shallots, finely chopped
½
lb cooked shrimp, finely diced
1
tablespoon all-purpose flour
½
cup brandy
½
cup heavy cream
1
teaspoon ground white pepper
6
tablespoons grated Romano cheese
4
tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
¼
cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1
teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
Freshly
ground black pepper
½
teaspoon Cayenne pepper
2
dozen plump, salty, oysters, freshly shucked and the flat sides of the shells
reserved
About
2 lbs rock salt (optional)
Lemon
wedges wrapped in muslin sleeves, for serving
In a large, heavy
saucepan, warm the vegetable oil and sauté the chopped mushrooms for about 4
minutes, stirring. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, press with another
spoon to remove excess liquid and set aside. In the same pan, melt
the butter over low heat and sauté the garlic and shallots for about 3 minutes,
stirring frequently, until softened.
Add the diced shrimp
and stir to mix, then sprinkle evenly with the flour. Stir together, add the
reserved mushrooms and increase heat to medium.
Stirring constantly,
deglaze the pan with the brandy. Stir in the cream and cook for 2 to 3 minutes,
until smooth. Stir in the Romano, dry breadcrumbs, parsley, salt, a touch of
black pepper and the Cayenne to a soft moundable consistency. Add a small
amount of milk if the mixture is too thick.
Remove the pan from
the heat and transfer the mixture to a glass or ceramic bowl. Cool to room
temperature, then refrigerate for about 1-1/2 hours, or until thoroughly
chilled.
Preheat the oven to
400 degrees. Wash the oyster shells well and pat dry. Drain the oysters and
place one in each of the 24 shells, or use two smaller oysters per shell if
necessary.
Place the shells in a
large, heavy roasting pan lined with a ½-inch layer of rock salt, or place six
filled oyster shells in each of four pie pans lined with salt (the salt keeps
the shells upright during cooking and stops the delicious juices from
escaping).
Top each oyster with
on generous tablespoon of the Bienville mix and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or
until nicely browned.
Garnish with a wrapped
lemon wedge and serve immediately.
