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Chef Maxwell's Oysters Rockefeller

8 ounces unsalted butter
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped celery ¼ cup chopped fennel
¼ cup chopped shallots
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
4 ounces spinach, stemmed and torn
 ¼ cup anise liqueur
¼ cup fresh bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
36 oysters on the half shell
Mornay sauce
rock salt

Preheat oven to 450˚. Heat the butter in a sauté pan. Add the parsley, celery, fennel, shallots and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook for 1 minute. Add liqueur and bread crumbs, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top each oyster with about 2 teaspoons of the vegetable mixture; it should coat the oyster’s entire surface. Top each oyster with 1 tablespoon of Mornay sauce. Bake the

oysters on a bed of rock salt until the mixture bubbles, about 6 or 7 minutes. Finish under a broiler. Serves 6

Mornay Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups hot milk
dash of ground nutmeg
 dash of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
2 ounces Gruyere or Swiss cheese, grated
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add flour, and cook slowly for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. The mixture should get foamy or frothy, but not brown. Add the hot milk, and whisk vigorously until smooth. Add the seasonings, return to heat and boil for about 1 minute over medium-high. Remove from heat, add cheeses and stir until blended. Makes about 2¼ cups.