I'm doing moules mariniere tonight....(mussels in cream and wine)

[Pert_UK]

Cooking for my girlfriend and her dad and haven't rolled this recipe out for a while so I hope it's OK!

2kg of mussles for 3 people
little bit of single cream
dry white wine
2 or more cloves garlic (chopped)
a few shallots (chopped)
parsley

Fry the chopped shallots in butter until soft, then add the chopped garlic. Chuck in the mussels and add about 2 glasses of white wine. Lid on the saucepan and wait for 5 minutes with the wine bubbling away. Add a little bit of cream and the chopped parsley and stir.

Serve straight away with lots of crusty bread.

NB - mussels need to be "de-bearded" / cleaned before cooking. Throw away any that aren't closed before cooking (or which don't close when you tap them with a knife) and throw away any that remain closed after cooking, or you'll get food poisoning!

[wildeyed]

1. That sounds heavenly.

I wish the picky eaters in my house would eat mussels. Maybe I will make them for myself, serve everyone else plain pasta with butter or something.

[Pert_UK]

4. Picky eaters? Probably wouldn't like the frog or snails I had...

over Christmas, or the haggis on Tuesday!

[wildeyed]

5. I dunno, even I might not like the haggis.

But I would at least give it a try :)

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Add some crushed fennel seeds and/or

Pernod or anisette ....... or even some dry vermoth.

Heavenly!

[Pert_UK]

3. It's funny you say that......

I've seen that dish on a lot of menus, both in the UK and in France. Even though I do enjoy Pernot (and have a bottle in the house) the idea of mixing it with cream, or serving it with mussels really doesn't appeal at all. Vermouth I could handle though....

Think I'll leave it to experiment when it's just me eating them - don't want to risk it with the girlfriend's dad!

[WritersBlock]

6. How'd it turn out? (n/t)

[Pert_UK]

7. Really good, actually! Thanks for asking.....We had smoked duck..

salad to start too, with a char siu and balsmaic vinegar dressing.....It was all delicious and went down well with the guest, which was the main thing.

P.