Mussels with Café de Paris Butter

A girl dinner. A first course. A lazy Sunday afternoon meal with a glass of crisp wine and a crusty loaf of bread.

Mussels with Café de Paris Butter
makes 1# mussels — serves 1-2 people

shopping list —

• 1# mussels

• 1 shallot, sliced

• white wine - about half a bottle

• café de paris butter

• 4-6 oz cream

• lemon, for seasoning

• crusty bread, like baguette or sourdough (for mopping up the sauce!)

equipment —

• cocotte, pan, or dutch oven

• whisk

steps —

1. Clean the mussels by removing the beards and giving them a little rinse in water to remove any sand or grit. 

2. In a pan over medium heat, add a small nub of café de paris butter. Saute the shallot until aromatic. Add the mussels and toss into the butter and shallot. Deglaze with white wine, and bring to a simmer to allow the mussels to steam open. 

3. Remove the mussels as they open to a serving bowl (if any mussels don’t open after a certain time, discard as they may be dead). Reduce the wine by 1/3, add the cream and allow to reduce by 1/4 to thicken the sauce, then whisk in cold café de paris butter, a few chunks at a time. Season with salt if needed and lemon juice. Pour over the mussels and serve with crusty bread.