Oysters Bienville Recipe

By Stina

Ingredients

• Garnish (not meant to be eaten):
• 1 Dozen Oysters, shucked and on the halfshell (PHOTO of these Ersters naked) (How to shuck an Oyster – Quicktime Video)
• 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 1/2 Cup Onion, finely chopped
• 4 Green Onions, finely sliced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 6 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
• 2 Cups Raw Shrimp, peeled and deveined, chopped
• 1/2 Cup White Mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1/4 Cup Dry White Wine
• 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
• Oyster Liquor, reserved
• 2 Tbsp Italian Parsley, minced
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
• A few dashes Hot Sauce (I use Crystal)
• Kosher Salt, Black Pepper, and Cayenne, to taste
• 4 Egg Yolks, beaten
• 1 1/2 Cups Rock Salt
• 3 Crushed up Bay leaves
• 1 tsp Whole Cloves
• 1 tsp Whole Allspice

Details

Adapted from nolacuisine.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.

For the sauce:
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, saute until the onions turn slightly golden.
Add the flour, stirring well to incorporate. Cook for a few minutes until it gets just a bit of color.
Stir in the shrimp, mushrooms, and a bit more salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the shrimp start to turn pink.
Add the white wine and the cream, cook for 2 minutes.
Add the lemon juice, parsley, and hot sauce. Season to taste with the salt, pepper, and cayenne; remove from the heat.
When the sauce is slightly cooled, stir in the egg yolks, moving quickly to incorporate and keep them from curdling.

For the Oysters:
Mix the Rock Salt with remaining garnish ingredients. Heat in the oven in a seperate pie tin at the same time as the oysters.

Top each Oyster with about 2 Tbsp of the prepared sauce. Place them in a pan that has a thin layer of rock salt in the bottom, this is to keep the oysters steady.
Bake for 10-12 Minutes then turn on the broiler to slightly brown the tops, for 1-2 minutes. The Oysters are finished when the sauce is heated through and the edges of the oysters start to curl.

Place the aromatic rock salt mixture on a large plate or platter. Arrange the Oysters Bienville decoratively around the plate. Serve