Moules À La Marinière
10 August 2012
16 comments
We’re in full on birthday mode over here at the moment. I am a HUGE fan of the birthweek (rather than just a birthday) and though my wonderful boyfriend won’t be turning 27 till Monday we started celebrating a few days ago with a trip to one of our favourite local restaurants, followed the next day by his works traditional party-pub-lunch.
To keep this momentum up we’re going to be spending time with our lovely friends for a lot of this:
and hopefully some more appropriate fashion choices than this – in my defence Kent is very flat, so it didn’t occur to me that it might be windy standing in the middle of a suspension bridge.
Celebration in my family always means cooking a meal that’s not usually featured in day to day dinners. The act of preparing food, then sitting down together to enjoy it is one of my favourite expressions of familial love.
Moules à la Marinière
(fresh mussels steamed open in wine and flavourings)
from Mastering the Art of French Cooking
serves 6-8
5 qts scrubbed soaked mussels
3/4 pt of light dry white wine or 1/2 pt dry white vermouth
8 tbsp of chopped shallots, spring onions or very finely chopped onions
8 parsley sprigs
1/2 bay leaf
1/4 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp pepper
3 oz butter
8 tbsp chopped parsley
Put all the ingredients in a pan excluding the mussels and boil for 2-3 minutes to evaporate the alcohol and reduce the volume slightly.
Add the mussels, cover tightly and rapidly boil for 5 minutes, frequently shaking the pan in a rapid up and down motion to insure the mussels change levels and cook evenly.
When the shells have swung open the mussels are done.
Serve in soup bowls, including the sauce sprinkled with parsley.
Birthdays in our family last a couple of days too! (and all the best people are born in August!). Not sure that mussels would be my preferred choice of special meal though. Give me a steak and I’m happy but I love this idea of only cooking from one cook book for a while. Looking forward to seeing what else you make!
Thanks! I think my bf would agree about the august babies being awesome! I’d prefer steak too lol!
I love that shot on the bridge! In fact, I love everything about this post. Celebrating for a week is a wonderful idea, the mussels look amazing and you all look like you’d be a lot of fun to hang out with!
Thank you! that’s such a sweet thing for you to say! I think I’ve pulled a stomach mussel from laughing so much this weekend!
I love your one week celebration my friend
Beautiful photos of a beautiful dish!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thank you! My bf said he didn’t like birthdays so I love to make a HUGE deal of them!
That certainly is a windy day but what a great image. I love how you make a big deal of birthdays. I always like to cook something special for birthday dinners too xx
Thanks! I managed to leave that coat at home this time!
Happy birthday to your boyfriend!!
I love mussels! This looks great.
Thank you! I’ve passed it on
Happy birthday! The coat had to be a huge surprise, hahaha. I love moules. When I was living in Holland I used to go to Brussels from time to time just to eat it. Great recipe.
Thank you! I went to Bruges last year and would have loved to have had time for Moules there.
Here 100th birthday! Love it. Great recipe and plated so beautifully as usual
Thank you! happy birthday julia!
I love birthweeks! Wish I had these mussels during mine next month!
thank you! maybe someone will make you them
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