Food and Recipes Recipes Oysters Rockefeller Recipe Created by Jules Alciatore at the famed New Orleans restaurant Antoine's, Oysters Rockefeller dates back to 1899. The original recipe remains a mystery (a spinach-watercress debate still persists), but a true Rockefeller riff is bold and vibrant with freshly blended herbaceous ingredients and a splash of anise-flavored liqueur. The name? Inspired by the buttery richness of Alciatore's dish. By Southern Living Test Kitchen Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on October 31, 2018 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Hands On Time: 30 mins Total Time: 35 mins Yield: 36 serves as an appetizer Ingredients Rock salt 4 bacon slices, finely chopped 1/4 cup butter, melted 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed (undrained) 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1/2 cup oyster liquor (reserved oyster liquid) 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper 1/4 cup absinthe 3 dozen oyster in the half shell, drained, reserving oyster liquid Directions Put a ½-inch layer of the rock salt in 2 large jelly-roll pans. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium 4 to 6 minutes or until crisp; drain, reserving drippings in skillet. Add the butter and the flour to hot drippings; cook, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown. Add the spinach and the next 5 ingredients. Bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until very thick. Remove from heat. Stir in the absinthe and bacon, and add table salt to taste Preheat the broiler with oven rack 6 inches from heat. Arrange 18 oysters on salt in prepared pans; top with the spinach mixture. Broil 4 to 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Southern Living Source Recipe Revival: Southern Classics Reinvented for Modern Cooks (2016; Time Inc. Books) Print