On the Lees, Please

I made mussels the other night to satisfy a craving that I had (which was probably more for the fries that I always have with mussels, but refuse to make). I considered a Thai-Curry-Lemongrass extravaganza but worried that mine would never live up to the versions I've had in restaurants. I mean, it's kind of a waste if the sauce doesn't turn out. Then what would I do with a lone, 2-foot baguette?

Instead of simply relying on my old standby of mussels steamed in white wine, I added...heavy cream! And more garlic! You know. To make them...different.



Typically "they" say that you should cook with a wine that you would drink, so why not one that you would drink with your meal? Muscadet, a white wine (and region) from the far western reaches of the Loire Valley, is a classic pairing with oysters, so I figured that it would work just as well with mussels. The light, crisp acidity also helps to balance and cut through the richness of the cream sauce. You'll see from the label that this particular Muscadet is from Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine, a sub-appellation which is the highest producing in all of the Muscadet region. The bold, "Sur Lie" indicates that the wine has been in contact with the dead yeast cells left over after fermentation ("on the lees") during the aging process in order to enhance the flavor and complexity of the wine. (The French have recently - in the last 15 years - regulated the inclusion of the term sur lie on labels to wines that comply with set guidelines.) Now you know everything.



Mussels in White Wine and Garlic Cream Sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 pounds mussels, washed and scrubbed, beards removed (discard any open or broken shells)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Rustic, crusty bread

1. Place a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the butter and garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 - 2 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels, cover, and cook for 6 - 8 minutes, until the mussels have opened. (Discard any unopened mussels.)

2. Remove the mussels to a serving bowl, leaving the broth in the pot. Add the heavy cream to the broth and increase the heat to bring to a boil. Once at a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes to thicken slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper and then stir in the parsley. Pour the broth over the mussels, allowing any sediment (but not garlic!) to remain in the bottom of the pot. Serve with crusty bread if desired. Serves two.

*NOTE: Save any leftover garlic cream sauce and mussels (removed from their shells) to toss with a pasta like fettuccine or cappellini. (I'd show my photo of the pasta, but since I had removed their shells, the mussels just aren't as cute on their own, ya know?) So here's a mess of garlic instead.

Magical Mussel Elixir

This post may be too little too late, but that's only if when you originally read about my steamed mussels, you rushed right out to make them. Since the majority (all!) of you probably did not make them in the last few days, you can safely file this post away for when you actually do make the mussels. The point is to not let the broth go to waste!

I think the mussel broth is the magical elixir that exists as the sole reason to eat an entire loaf of bread while sopping up its deliciousness. And, if like me you still have some broth left after your bread inhalation, save it! I knew it would eventually come in handy after I made those mussels. A day later when I was rummaging through my cupboards for something to eat, I came up with it's perfect use in a pasta dish. And I didn't have to purchase anything in addition to what I already had, though it might have been nice if I had checked my fridge before starting. Some heavy cream would have been a nice touch (but think of those calories I saved!).

Even though I didn't actually try making this pasta with the heavy cream, I am positive that it would be delish. So just throw caution to the wind and add some heavy cream! And don't worry about the Italian cheese-on-seafood-pasta police. I'm pretty sure that since there is no actual seafood protein in this particular pasta, they'll give you a free pass. At least that's my policy...

Pasta With Mussel Infused Tomato Sauce

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

3 plum tomatoes, cored and chopped

1 cup mussel broth, including onions (left from steamed mussel recipe)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 ounces capellini

1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)

Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and drain the extra bacon fat from the skillet, leaving behind just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

2. Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and cook for one minute more. Add the mussel broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, until the sauce has reduced slightly. Stir in the heavy cream, if using, and cook for one minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the capellini until al dente, about 2 minutes. Drain the pasta and add to the pan of sauce and toss thoroughly over low heat for about 1 minute, until some of the sauce has been absorbed by the pasta. Serve immediately with Parmesan. Makes 4 servings.

Mussel Milk

So last night I had the distinct pleasure (!) of accompanying my good friend Nora to Kleinfeld's to help her select a non-wedding wedding gown. Our good friend Wess also came along to offer some actual bridal experience. What? Was that a groan? Let me tell you why I was so excited. Some of you may know of my TV obsession, and as such, I have seen my fair share of reality shows, some of which happen to be wedding related. Well, on reality TV there is high drama, people! Brides are crying, mothers are screaming, bridesmaids are fighting...but I saw none of that! Not a single tear or snarky remark. It was sooo disappointing! (From other shoppers, not my cool friends. Obvs!) Is reality TV not actually real? Hmmm.


I guess our first mistake (in fulfilling my fantasy) was arriving late on a Monday night. Our gown consultant let it slip that Saturday afternoons are primetime for (any) high drama. Alas, I had to be contented with my levelheaded friends and their unique sense of humor. Fabulously, Nora scored a sample dress at an amazing price, so we went to celebrate with some mussels at Markt. (For some reason I had mussels on the brain and Markt was a fortunate block away.) We got a table right away with and extra seat for the dress. The host was very accommodating.

Since I still can't seem to get mussels off my mind, I decided to make my own tonight. It is so easy. It's just a matter of coming up with your favorite concoction. Curry? Garlic cream? Hoegaarden? I generally prefer the classic white wine version, so went with that. It's also an excellent base to start with and can be tweaked a hundred different ways. The only problem is that I don't own a Fry Daddy. Remember those? Mussels without fries is a shame. But just make sure that you at least have some good crusty bread on hand to use to sop up the broth, and you might not miss them. Repeat: Might not. Oh, and buy a good dry white wine so that you have wine to cook with and wine to drink. (I suggest a Sauvignon Blanc. I didn't even notice that the wine I bought was called "Frenzy" until I brought it home because I was just looking for the grape variety and the price. But it turned out to be apropos since I was racing against the sunset.)

White Wine Steamed Mussels


2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, thinly sliced (or 2 medium shallots)
1 cup dry white wine
2 pounds mussels, washed and scrubbed, beards removed (discard any open or broken shells)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Rustic crusty bread


1. Place a large pot over medium heat. Add the oil, garlic, and onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels, cover, and cook for 6 - 8 minutes, until the mussels have opened. (Discard any unopened mussels.)


2. Remove the mussels to a serving bowl, leaving the broth in the pot. Add the butter to the broth and stir over low heat to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the broth over the mussels, allowing any sediment to remain in the bottom of the pot. Serve with crusty bread if desired. Serves two.