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Knife & Fork Stuffed Mushrooms Rockefeller

Knife & Fork Stuffed Mushrooms Rockefeller The oyster lover’s ultimate stuffed mushrooms! Extra-large button mushrooms are the baking vehicle for the recipe, which uses fresh jarred oysters. Timid shuckers will love this variation.

Ingredients:

• 14 large (2-2 ½" diameter) common mushrooms (about 1 ½ lb.)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 14 extra-small shucked oysters (about a 14-oz. jar), drained
• 1 Tbsp. finely minced red bell pepper (optional)
• 1 small lemon, halved

Filling

• 3 slices bacon, minced
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• 1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed, trimmed and chopped (about 4 cups)
• ¼ cup half-and-half
• ¼ tsp. Tabasco, or to taste
• Salt
• ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Topping

• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 2-3 tsp. minced or pressed garlic
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp. Pernod, Pastis or dry sherry

Cooking Instructions:

To make the filling: In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté the bacon until crisp. Stir in the flour, followed by the spinach and half-and-half. Cook, stirring well, until very thick. Stir in the Tabasco and salt to taste. Take from the heat, fold in the Parmesan cheese and let cool thoroughly.

To make the topping: Place the cream cheese in a glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, or soften at room temperature. Stir in the garlic, green onion and Pernod until creamy. (Filling and topping can be prepared up to 2 days in advance; store tightly covered in the refrigerator.)

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Pull the stems off the mushrooms, leaving a cavity in the cap. Discard the stems or save for another use. Season the mushroom caps with salt and pepper. Divide the spinach filling evenly among the mushrooms. Lightly press one oyster into each spinach-filled mushroom.

Top each oyster with about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese topping, spreading out a bit to partially cover the oyster. Place the mushrooms on a baking pan, lightly oiled or sprayed with pan spray. Sprinkle each mushroom with a little minced red bell pepper, if using. Bake in the preheated oven until the mushrooms are tender, the spinach filling is hot and the oysters are just cooked, 8 to 12 minutes. Right after taking the mushrooms from the oven, squeeze the lemon juice over.

BUFFET SERVINGS PER RECIPE: 14

Nutrition Facts:
Cal. 100 / Total fat 6g / Sat. 3g / Chol. 25 mg / Sdm. 189mg / Carbo. 6g / Prot. 6g / Om-3.1g

Decorating

To make a decorative ice bowl, layer lemon peel, flowers, shells and herb sprigs in a large stainless steel or plastic bowl half-filled with cold water. Nest a smaller bowl in the center and weigh down with cans or rice to make as deep an indentation as you want. (Take care that the two bowl bottoms aren’t touching, or the bowl will not have a solid base.) Freeze until solid, then run some cold water into the smaller bowl to loosen it and dip the larger bowl into cold water to help release it. Be sure to arrange the ice bowl on a rimmed dish to catch water as it drips.