Warm oysters with celery root and spinach

Warm oysters with celery root and spinach

12 oysters in shell

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 celery root, peeled, quartered, cut into thin strips

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 package (8 ounces) baby spinach

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, cut into tablespoons

Juice of 1 lemon

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Makes 4 servings

Open oysters. Strain their liquor (liquid with oyster) into a saucepan. Reserve oyster shell bottoms.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the celery root. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 6 minutes. Season with 1/8 teaspoon of the salt and black pepper to taste. Add spinach; stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; keep warm.

Heat the reserved oyster liquid in the saucepan to a boil over medium heat; cook until mixture reduces to 3 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Add cream; cook until the mixture reduces to about 1/4 cup. Whisk butter into the cream mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the lemon juice, remaining 1/8 teaspoon of the salt, ground red pepper and black pepper to taste. Transfer half of the sauce to a bowl; set aside.

Place oysters in the sauce; cook over low heat until just warm, 45 seconds. Spoon oysters into their reserved bottom shells; top each with the celery root-spinach mixture. Spoon a little of the remaining sauce over each.

Nutritional information per serving: 372 calories, 90 percent of calories from fat, 38 g fat, 22 g saturated fat, 124 mg cholesterol, 5 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein, 538 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.