“Life is too short not to have oysters and champagne.”
Christi Brinkley
Hi there,
Today it is my pleasure to share a recipe and a story from the very accomplished Antoinette Truglio Martin. Antionette is a very accomplished writer, and her blog is called Stories Served Around The Table. She is currently working on a series about the experience of coming to America and coming of age in America as an immigrant. The books are wonderfully written and would make great Christmas presents. Antionette’s blog can be found at www.antoinettetrugliomartin.com
Antoinette’s Oyster Rockefeller
Christmas Eve is the night of the seven fishes. Each of my sisters, a few nieces, and Mom have assignments. It usually adds up to a dozen or more dishes throughout the night as we wait for Santa Claus’ arrival (after the dishes are cleaned, before dessert and coffee).
My assignment is Oysters Antoinette, my spin on Oysters Rockefeller. I am fortunate to live in oyster mecca-the south shore on Long Island. Oyster farming is enjoying a Renaissance here. Blue Point oysters are, in my opinion, the best—plump with a hint of a salty brine. They taste like oysters. My recipe uses mild flavored ingredients and minimal texture so that the oysters’ deliciousness comes through. They never disappoint.
Ingredients for 1 dozen oysters (do the math for a big crowd)
1 dozen oysters, shucked with their juices saved, clean 12 oyster shells
1 small shallot chopped
1 Tbs butter
2 cups of chopped spinach
chopped fresh tarragon and parsley (I like more parsley)
Splash of light white wine like pinot grigio (optional)
1-2 cloves of roasted garlic
¼ cup of ½ and ½
½-3/4 cup of grated fontina cheese (depending on how cheesy you like your oysters)
Preheat the oven to 350°. In a saute pan, melt the butter with the roasted garlic and cook the shallots until transparent. Stir in the spinach, parsley, tarragon and a dash of salt.. When the spinach is almost wilted, splash in the wine if desired, and 1-2 Tbs of the oyster juice. Add the ½ and ½, stir until everything looks cooked. Take the pan off the heat, Let it cool until warm-ish. Stir in the grated fontina cheese.
Set the oyster shells on a pan. Spoon one raw oyster into each shell. Dollop the spinach mixture on top of each oyster. Bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes.
Cooking time depends on taste. My family has no problem slurping the gems down raw, so I cook Oysters Antoinette when they still have a little plumb to them. But if your crowd prefers a firm, slightly dried morsel, then cook it longer, but keep an eye on it. No one likes a burned oyster.
Doesn’t this recipe sound wonderful? I hope you have enjoyed meeting Antionette. I know if you visit her blog (www.antoinettetrugliomartin.com ), you will become a fan. Thank you, Antoinette, for sharing your Holiday Story and recipe.
23 responses to “ANTOINETTE’S CHRISTMAS TRADITION”
This sounds delicious, but I have one question. What is 1/2 and 1/2?
Hi Viv, it half milk and half cream. Have a great weekend.
Thank you, Bernadette , for the kind words and opportunity to be featured on your blog. I am so honored. Have a delicious and joyous holiday.
These look very good. Hubby is allergic to shellfish but I could make a few for me! BTW, the link to Antoinette’s blogsite doesn’t work. xo
I absolutely love oysters. And this recipe looks marvelous. I would add caviar and steak tartar to Christi’s list, though!
Good additions for sure.
I love the Christy Brinkley quote. I have a photograph of my sister taken last summer when, on a whim, we decided to go out to lunch for no particular reason at a really lovely restaurant near us. And for no particular reason, we ordered champagne and oysters and feasted! I strongly advise this!
I am sure this is a treasured memory.
[…] ANTOINETTE’S CHRISTMAS TRADITION […]
Thanks so much Yernasia for the reblog. Have a wonderful week.
Love this and love the story. Unfortunately the link didn’t work to her blog.
I love hearing about different family traditions, this sounds lovely!
Recipes and family stories do not get any better, thanks!
Oysters Antoinette has a definite ring to it!
Thanks Kathleen for taking the time to read and comment of the post. Have a wonderful week.
Hi, Bernadette – It is wonderful to see Antoinette here. I wholeheartedly agree – life is too short not to enjoy oysters and champagne!
Antoinette’s Oyster Rockefeller sounds delicious. This is one of my favorite things to order when I go out to dinner and there are never enough of them to satisfy my enormouse oyster appetite. Lol. I’ll try these at home where I can make as many as I want. 🙂 Thanks to Antoinette for the recipe, and thanks for sharing, Bernadette.
Hi Bernadette, this is quite a different sort of Christmas menu. 7 Fish and oysters. My mom would love it. Me, I’m not an oyster fan but I do eat other fish.
Love oysters and this recipe sounds amazing!
Ooh, these sound great! I’m gonna need to get some champagne this year. My hubby doesn’t like the bubbles, so more for me! 😂 🍾
I never used to buy champagne either because Dom doesn’t drink it and the bottle would go flat. then, I discovered there are special stoppers made for champagne. Now I have it when the mood strikes.
This sounds good. I just wish I liked oysters. I follow Antoinette on our Weekend Coffee share link up and decided to head over and check your site out. I always love new recipes.
Well, sending you a big welcome Kirstin.