Knife And Fork Stuffed Mushrooms Rockefeller

Directions

1. To make the filling: In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, saute/fry the bacon till crisp. Stir in the flour, followed by the spinach and half-and-half. Cook, stirring well, till very thick. Stir in the Tabasco and salt to taste. Take from the heat, mix in the Parmesan cheese and let cold thoroughly.
2. To make the topping: Place the cream cheese in a glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, or possibly soften at room temperature. Stir in the garlic, green onion and Pernod till creamy. (Filling and topping can be prepared up to 2 days in advance; store tightly covered in the refrigerator.)
3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Pull the stems off the mushrooms, leaving a cavity in the cap. Throw away the stems or possibly save for another use.
4. Season the mushroom caps with salt and pepper. Divide the spinach filling proportionately among the mushrooms. Lightly press one oyster into each spinach-filled mushroom.
5. Top each oyster with about 1 tsp. of cream cheese topping, spreading out a bit to partially cover the oyster. Place the mushrooms on a baking pan, lightly oiled or possibly sprayed with pan spray. Sprinkle each mushroom with a little chopped red bell pepper, if using.
6. Bake in the preheated oven till the mushrooms are tender, the spinach filling is warm and the oysters are just cooked, 8 to 12 min. Right after taking the mushrooms from the oven, squeeze the lemon juice over.
7. This recipe yields 14 servings.
8. Comments: The oyster lover's ultimate stuffed mushroom! Extra-large button mushrooms are the baking vehicle for the recipe, that uses fresh jarred oysters. Timid shuckers will love this variation.