Recipe #4 Arnaud's Oysters Bienville

I found a folded page in mom's fish and meat envelope of her recipe binder for recipes from the French Quarter. On the page I googled the ad for Lydia O'Leary's Covermark to try to find a year. It looks like Covermark is still being made. The website says that Covermark was the only foundation ever given a patent. Also Lydia invented it to cover a birthmark on her face that prevented her from getting hired. I wonder if makeup artists still use it today?

After searching for a date, I was placing the page during the late 1950's but then after I looked again at the page, the date is right there at the bottom = October 1960. Despite a comment by an aquaintance that "all the food in New Orleans tastes the same!" the article states: "Americans go to New York to do the theaters, to Washington to see the White House. They go to New Orleans, quite simply, to eat."

After I selected Arnaud's Oysters Bienville, I had to do another google search for the recipe because the amount of onion was vague. At Arnaud's there are oysters Bienville, Rockefller, Kathryn, Suzette, and Ohan...mushroom, spinach, artichokes, peppers/pimentos, and eggplant\andouille sausage based sauces. What is the problem with eating just a plain oyster?

Back to the page in hand. In addition to Arnaud's Oysters Bienville there are recipes for Antoine's Oysters Rockefeller, Brennan's Eggs Hussarde, Commander's Palace Crab Meat Imperial, and Dunbar's Stuffed Squash. Do you think that if I send a self addressed, stamped envelope as it suggests for more of these restaurants recipes that Woman's Day would send them to me?

Arnaud's Oysters Bienville is definitely a keeper!

Prepare the sauce first: brown lightly in 3 tablespoons butter 2 minced onions. (I used 2 tablespoons of onion.) stir in 3 tablespoons flour and cook, stirring until the mixture is lightly browned. Add gradually 1 1/2 cups chicken consommé, 2/3 cup white wine, 1 cup minced raw mushrooms, and 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked shrimp. Cook slowly, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes.

Open 3 dozen oysters and put them in their deep shells on individual, ovenproof baking dishes. A bed of rock salt will help keep the shells firmly upright. Bake the oysters in their own juices in a moderate oven (350* F) for about 6 minutes. (I used a 400* oven on broil per another recipe.)

Thicken the prepared sauce with 2 egg yolks beaten with 2 tablespoons cream and heat the sauce without allowing it to boil. Cover each oyster with some of the sauce and sprinkle with equal parts of dry bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese. Return the oysters to the oven for about 10 minutes, until the topping is browned.

I served this on retro divided diner plates, 4 oysters on the small section and on the larger section Romaine lettuce (from my garden) duck proscuito and feta cheese salad with balsamic vinegar and EVO. YUM!