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From Nola Cuisine

As much as I love a well made Oysters Rockefeller, this dish, Oysters Bienville, is my favorite of the baked New Orleans Oysters. I especially love this one as an appetizer for a Christmas meal, it’s richness of flavor is perfect for the holidays.

Although Count Arnaud Cazaname of Arnaud’s Restaurant claimed creation of this dish, his was a recreation of the one he first tasted at Antoine’s, created by Chef Auguste Michel. It is named in honor of Jean de Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, who in 1718, with the help of eighty French exiles, set up a colony near the mouth of the Mississippi river, called La Nouvelle Orleans; now New Orleans. He was also an early Louisiana governor, although he is most well known for being the namesake for this dish. Here is my recipe:

Oysters Bienville Recipe

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

Garnish (not meant to be eaten):
1 1/2 Cups Rock Salt
3 Crushed up Bay leaves
1 tsp Whole Cloves
1 tsp Whole Allspice

Shuck the oysters, drain off the liquor into a small container; reserve. Leave the oysters on the half shell, refrigerated.

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.

Related Posts:

Oysters on the Half Shell

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I always make a big batch of Turkey Stock before Thanksgiving, for stuffing, gravy etc., and of course for the leftover Turkey Gumbo a day or two after the holiday. I made a huge batch of stock this year, so I made a little Pumkin Soup with a couple of the pie pumpkins that were hanging out on the front porch for decoration. This isn’t your average Pumkin Soup, it’s smoky, and boldly flavored with Louisiana ingredients. This would be a great soup to serve as a starter for Thanksgiving. The Recipe:

Pumkin Soup with Andouille Sausage & Tasso

For the Pumkin:
2 Medium Pie Pumkins, halved top to bottom, scraped out and seeded, then halved again.
3 Tbsp Melted Unsalted Butter
2 Tbsp Creole Seasoning, mixed with:
1/4 tsp Ground Allspice

Preheat an oven to 400º F.
Lay the pumkin on a baking sheet, brush with the butter and season with the Creole Seasoning mix. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until fork tender.
Remove from the oven and while still warm, scoop away the meat from the skin, discard the skin. Set aside.

For the soup:

4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 1/2 Cups Diced Andouille Sausage
3/4 Cup Diced Tasso
1 1/2 Cups Diced Onion
3/4 Cup Diced Red Bell Pepper
3/4 Cup Diced Celery
2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
Turkey Stock (about 4-6 cups should do it) or Chicken Stock
2 Fresh Bay Leaves
1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme leaves
Kosher Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Hot Sauce ot to taste

Garnish:
Pepitas (shelled pumkin seeds) toasted
Green Onions, thinly sliced

First:
Add the Andouille sausage, Tasso, and the butter to a dutch oven over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Don’t brown, the object is to render some fat and flavor.
Add the Trinity (onion, bell pepper, celery) and garlic. Cook, stirring often until the vegetables are very tender. Remove the vegetables and seasoning meats to bowl with a slotted spoon, reserving all liquids in the pot.

Next:
Add the Pumkin to the pot and cover with about 4 cups of the Turkey Stock or covered by 1/2 inch. Add the bay leaves and fresh Thyme. Bring this to a boil, then down to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper; add the Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Simmer this for about 40 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, then puree with an immersion blender.
If the soup is to thick, thin it out with some hot stock. If it is too thin you can thicken it with a little blonde Roux. It should have body, but should not be too thick. I would prefer to start a little thick, then thin out with stock, which is why I only started with 4 cups of stock, you can always add more.

Add the reserved vegetables and seasoning meats. Adjust seasonings.

Serve garnished with the Pepitas and thinly sliced Green Onions.

Serves 4

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From Nola Cuisine Images – (reedited)

I finally got around to making my Red Beans & Rice with the Pickle Meat I made recently, like I said, nothing flavors Red Beans as well as Pickle Meat. I also served it with Fried Pork Chops as a side, instead of Chaurice Sausage. I made my Chops a little different than the norm by making them Fried Chicken style, there were no complaints at the table.

Monday Red Beans & Rice Recipe with Pickle Meat and Fried Pork Chops

1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
2 Tbsp Creole Seasoning
1 Cup Onion, chopped
1/2 Cup Bell Pepper, chopped
1/4 Cup Celery, Chopped
1 Cup Andouille Sausage, Cubed
1 Ham Bone
1/2 lb Small Red Beans (soaked overnight or for at least a few hours)
1 Cup Pickle Meat, Cubed
1 Tbsp Fresh Garlic, Minced
3 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock (You could certainly use water)
3 Fresh Bay Leaves
1/2 Cup Tomato Sauce
1 Tbsp Italian Parsley, Finely Chopped
1/4 Cup Green Onions, thinly sliced on the bias
1/2 Recipe Creole Boiled Rice

Mix together the Holy Trinity (Onions, Celery, Bell Pepper). Drain the beans.
Melt the butter over medium heat.
Add 1/2 of the Holy Trinity, 1 Tbsp of the Creole Seasoning, and the Andouille, turn the heat to medium high. Cook this for about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables start to get some color.
Add the beans and cook stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.
Add the Chicken Stock or Water, Pickle Meat, the Ham bone, Garlic, Bay Leaves, the remaining Trinity and Creole Seasoning. Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let this simmer for 2- 2 1/2 Hours. The first hour is low maintenance; an occasional stir and making sure the beans are covered with liquid. The second hour, you want to check back a little more often, the beans will really start to absorb some liquid and you don’t want them to stick.
After the beans have cooked for two hours, add the Tomato Sauce, the Parsley and 1/2 of the Green Onions. Make your Rice. Cook the beans for another half hour.
To Serve:
Remove the Bay Leaves. Mound a half cup of Rice each, onto two serving plates, Cover with a generous helping of the Red Beans, Garnish with the remaining Green Onions. Make sure their is a bottle of hot sauce on the table. Perfect compliments to this meal are a simple vinaigrette salad, Good Crusty French Bread, and your favorite Ice Cold Beer.

Serves 2-3

Fried Pork Chops Recipe

Pork Chops
Buttermilk (enough to cover)
1 tsp Black Pepper
Kosher Salt & Black pepper
1 Tbsp Creole Seasoning
1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
Oil for frying

Cover the chops with the Buttermilk, mix in the 1 tsp Black Pepper. Marinate for 1 hour.
Heat the oil to 350 degrees F. Remove the Chops from the buttermilk and season liberally with salt and pepper. Dredge in the seasoned flour, shake off any excess. Fry until golden brown and just cooked through, serve alongside Red Beans & Rice.

Other Red Beans & Rice posts:

Red Beans & Rice Recipe (made with Andouille Sausage and Tasso)

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The Sazerac, which some say is America’s first cocktail, was invented by Antoine Peychaud, a Creole pharmacist, in the 1830’s. The original contained Brandy (some argue Cognac), Absinthe, and the Apothecary’s secret bitters, which now bear his name. Sazerac lovers all have their own recipe which they think is the best, which is ridiculous, because mine is the best. My buddy Tom also shakes a great Sazerac, he uses Wild Turkey Rye 101. In addition to recipe, an equally ferocious debate, is which bar in New Orleans has the best. I’m sure the locals may know better, but I think a great one is at the Fairmount Hotel’s, Sazerac Bar. The Fairmont Hotel, which was the Roosevelt until 1965, was owned by Seymour Weiss, friend of former Governor and later Senator Huey P. Long, who set up shop in the hotel. Anyway, they make a very good Sazerac, as well as their famous Ramos Gin Fizz, but that’s another post. It is a great little bar to relax and sample some of the fine cocktails of New Orleans. I haven’t yet heard the state of the Fairmont post Katrina.
Great places for a Sazerac on Bourbon are the Desire Oyster Bar (recently re-opened) or Felix’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar, and of course Galatoire’s. Galatoire’s makes a Sazerac, as well as what they call a Galatoire’s Special which they mix the same, but substitute Bourbon for the Rye.
Peychaud’s bitters can be difficult to find in the Detroit area but I managed to locate a few places that carry it. Herbsaint, I’ve only found in New Orleans, not too much different than Pernod, but it’s 90 proof as opposed to Pernod’s 80 proof, plus its cheaper, and from New Orleans (My Herbsaint supply is dangerously low right now.) Here is my recipe, keep in mind, mine is a tad sweeter, and heavier on the Peychaud’s than some. That’s why it is called My Recipe:

My Sazerac Cocktail Recipe

2 oz. Rye Whiskey (I use Jim Beam Rye, or Wild Turkey Rye 101; You could also substitute Bourbon, as Commander’s Palace does!)
8 dashes Peychaud Bitters
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 Tablespoon Simple Syrup (equal parts sugar and water/cooked until the sugar disolves)
about 1/4 ounce Herbsaint or Pernod.
1 Lemon Twist

Chill an old fashioned glass. Combine the Rye, bitters and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Rub the rim of the glass with the lemon peel, then coat the inside of the glass with the Herbsaint, pour out the excess. Add the mix to the glass, twist the lemon peel and drop it in. Enjoy!

Makes 1 Cocktail.

Here is where you can get Peychaud’s by mail order:

Sazerac Company – Peychaud Bitters

If you have a high-end liquor store in your area, they will probably carry them. Although you can substitute Pernod for the Herbsaint, Peychaud’s are a must.

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This is a simple side dish popular in Nola Cuisine. It’s very quick and easy to make, and it will accompany just about any entree. You could also bake the potatoes as an alternative to frying them. I would toss them in Olive Oil, Season liberally with salt and black pepper and bake on a sheet pan at 425 degrees F until golden and crispy. I cut these into different sizes for different purposes, these I made a little larger to be a side dish. Recipe:

Brabant Potatoes Recipe

2 1/2 Cups Vegetable Oil
2 Large Idaho Potatoes
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
1/2 Stick Unsalted Butter, cut in pieces
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp Italian Parsley, Finely Chopped

Peel the Potatoes and cut into 1/2″-3/4″ dice. Soak these in cold water for about 15-20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and wash under cold water, the object is to remove some of the starch. Drain and pat dry with paper towels, you want them very dry before they go into the oil.
Heat the Oil to 360-375 degrees in a 2 qt saucepan. Deep fry the potatoes until golden brown, in batches, you don’t want to overcrowd the pan (see note). Drain on dry paper towels. Season with salt & black pepper. Place the drained potatoes on a warm serving plate(s).
In a saute pan heat the Olive Oil over medium low heat and saute the garlic until fragrant, add the parsley and the butter, incorporating it in by constantly shaking the pan back and forth. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and pour over the potatoes, or toss them in it. Serve immediately.

Serves 2-3

**Note**
Overcrowding the pan when deep-frying does two things:
1. Keeps the oil from surrounding the potatoes
2. Lowers the temperature of the oil too quickly, which will result in soggy and greasy food, as opposed to crisp. When your temperature is too low, the food absorbs the oil in like a sponge.

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