STEAMED MUSSELS WITH CREAM, SAFFRON AND MINT

This dish is prepared in much the same way as moules à la marinière except that cream is added to the sauce and the sauce is flavored with saffron and mint instead of parsley. These mussels are also presented differently than moules à la marinière—the top shell is taken off of each mussel, because scooping mussels out of two shells can be messy when the sauce contains cream. The sauce is brothlike, almost like a soup.

50 to 60 small cultivated mussels (about 2 pounds [900 g])

1 cup [250 ml] dry white wine

2 medium-size shallots, chopped fine

1 small clove garlic, chopped fine, crushed to a paste with the side of a chef ’s knife

1 cup [250 ml] heavy cream

1 pinch saffron threads, soaked for 30 minutes in

1 tablespoon of water

25 fresh mint leaves

5 teaspoon olive oil

Pepper

• WASH and sort the mussels
• COMBINE the wine, shallots, and garlic in a pot twice the size of your pile of mussels, cover the pot, and simmer gently for 5 minutes to infuse the flavors into the wine. Put the mussels in the pot, cover the pot, turn the heat to high, and steam for about 4 minutes.
• Holding the lid firmly on the pot with a kitchen towel while also holding the pot handles, shake the pot, moving the back side up and toward you so the mussels that were on the bottom of the pot are redistributed to the top. Steam for about 2 minutes more, or until all the mussels have opened. Stand back when you remove the lid and don’t put your hand in for a few seconds or the steam can burn you.
• SCOOP the mussels into a large bowl, leaving the steaming liquid behind in the big pot, and keep them warm while you’re making the sauce.
• G E N T LY pour the mussel cooking liquid into a saucepan, leaving behind any grit or sand. Add the heavy cream and the saffron and its soaking liquid and bring to the simmer.
• TA K E off and discard the top shell from each of the mussels and divide the mussels among 4 plates. Rub the mint leaves with the olive oil to keep the mint from turning black when you chop it, and chop it fine. Stir the mint into the sauce and season the sauce with pepper.
• L A D L E the sauce over the mussels in the soup plates, and serve immediately. If the mussels cooled off while they were waiting, rotate each plate of mussels (be sure the plates are ovenproof) under the broiler for 30 seconds or so.

Makes 4 first-course servings