1/2lb Mussels
2 slices bacon, lardon (thinly sliced)
1 shallot, brunoise (3mm cubes....aka very small)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp butter
6oz wheat beer
1 orange
- Rinse mussels, trimming off any beards.
- Discard any mussels that do not close when tapped. Set aside.
- In a small sauté pan, render* bacon.
- Deglaze** the pan with a bit of the beer and set aside.
- In large shallow Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat and sweat*** off the shallot and then the garlic. Season with salt and pepper.Squeeze juice from ½ the orange and zest the peel into the pan. Add beer and bring to boil. Add mussels and bacon (including the liquid from deglazing), reduce heat, cover and simmer until mussels open (about 10 minutes). Discard any that do not open. Place the other ½ of the orange in the centre of a bowl and plate the mussels around it.
*Render- cooking to reduce the fat content.
**Deglaze- a method of removing cooked particles of food and fat from the bottom of a pot or pan for the purpose of adding flavour to a sauce.
***Sweat- cooking lightly without browning. Using salt helps to promote sweating because it draws out moisture.
4 comments:
I've made beer and bacon mussels before. Not quite like this, but pretty similar.
My favorite is still a white wine/veg stock/lemon butter variety with a ton of chopped veggies. I actually make twice as much stock to make risotto for Gia because she likes the juice but hates the mussels.
Me? I looove mussels. I had the best mussels of my life last month in Montauk. Simply prepared in a white wine sauce, but the mussels themselves were incredible. I don't know where they got them from. Maybe super-local, but they were perfect.
PS - There's a simple summer sandwich recipe on my blog today.
Hey Earl love the idea of using the stock for risotto. My favourite risotto is made with toasted barley, caramelized red onions, wild mushrooms and asiago cheese. But i'm definitely going to try one with a fume. Sounds excellent. I'll be sure to check out your sandwich as well :o)
I have a fungus issue. I'm not covered with any, I just hate them in my food. Truffles included. Blech.
substitute with something else then like spinach or omit them altogether. Toasted pinenuts would probably lend well too...unless of course you don't like those either.
Post a Comment