Makes enough topping for 2 dozen oysters (6 prepared in the video)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 3 tbsp shallots, minced
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- ¼ cup Sambuca (licorice-flavored Italian liqueur) or Pernod
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups spinach, rough chopped
- salt & pepper to taste
- ¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
- fresh oysters, shucked
- ¼ cup Parmesan or pecorino cheese, grated
Optional
Special Equipment
- oyster knife
- large sauté pan
How-to
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Melt butter in large sauté pan over medium-high heat
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Add garlic and shallots and sweat for 2-3 minutes without coloring
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Deglaze pan with Sambuca (for safety, remove pan from flame before adding alcohol)
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Once flame has died, add cream to the pan and reduce by half, 2-3 minutes
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Add spinach and turn off heat. Toss to wilt. Season with salt and pepper
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Add Pecorino Romano cheese and whisk to incorporate. Transfer to a bowl set over an ice bath to cool (about 5-10 minutes) to prevent the spinach from turning brown
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Preheat oven to 450º and shuck oysters. Top each half-shell with 1 tbsp of the mixture
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Sprinkle with Parmesan or pecorino cheese and bake at 450º for 4 minutes (or broil on high with rack on top shelf for 2-3 minutes)
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Serve on crushed ice or course salt with a lemon wedge
Note: Sauce can be made a day in advance & kept refrigerated