• 1 tbsp salted butter
• 3 tbsp shallots, minced
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• ¼ cup Sambuca (licorice-flavored Italian liqueur) or Pernod
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups spinach, rough chopped
• salt & pepper to taste
• ¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
• fresh oysters, shucked
• ¼ cup Parmesan or pecorino cheese, grated

Optional

• lemon wedges
• coarse salt

Special Equipment

• oyster knife
• large sauté pan

1. Melt butter in large sauté pan over medium-high heat
2. Add garlic and shallots and sweat for 2-3 minutes without coloring
3. Deglaze pan with Sambuca (for safety, remove pan from flame before adding alcohol)
4. Once flame has died, add cream to the pan and reduce by half, 2-3 minutes
5. Add spinach and turn off heat. Toss to wilt. Season with salt and pepper
6. Add Pecorino Romano cheese and whisk to incorporate. Transfer to a bowl set over an ice bath to cool (about 5-10 minutes) to prevent the spinach from turning brown
7. Preheat oven to 450º and shuck oysters. Top each half-shell with 1 tbsp of the mixture
8. Sprinkle with Parmesan or pecorino cheese and bake at 450º for 4 minutes (or broil on high with rack on top shelf for 2-3 minutes)
9. Serve on crushed ice or course salt with a lemon wedge

Note: Sauce can be made a day in advance & kept refrigerated