an evening in a French bistro

I had to take Jim to an eye appointment (the dreaded dilation  drops) that took forever, and I wound up whiling away the time perusing a Saveur magazine that had a feature on French bistros.  The more I read, the hungrier I got, and I was on a mission in the grocery store this afternoon.  French Bistro food.  But it was getting late, so I didn't have time for a slow braise so common in many bistro foods.  Steak frites?  That was a possibility, but I really didn't want to make French fries, and besides, I had no idea how to find duck fat, which is what make real frites so amazing.  Then, at the seafood counter in Whole Foods, I saw them.   Mussels.  For just $2.99 a pound.  And the seafood guy told me they were in fresh today.  A bistro classic -- mussels in white wine.  And oh so simple.  Just a a bit of garlic, shallot, parsley, and red pepper flake.  Some white wine and a butter finish.  Hello, dinner in about a half an hour.

a very simple mise en place -- chopped parsley,

red pepper flakes, chopped garlic, minced shallot

and some good butter and white wine

So, what to eat with the mussels.  A crunchy, rustic bread was a must.  And a salad.  I have figs and walnuts in the freezer, and some fresh goat cheese, so I bought some arugula.  Figs, goat cheese, and walnuts make a wonderful sweet/salty/sour salad combination, and they are especially nice with the spicy bite of arugula.  When figs are fresh in the fall, I like to slice them in half and grill them just until they caramelize a bit, and nestle them on top of the salad.  But, once they are frozen, they get pretty soft.  So I decided to incorporate them into the salad dressing, along with a bit of walnut oil, shallot, salt, pepper, and white wine vinegar.  The skin peels right off of the flesh once they have thawed.

the dressing ready to be emulsified -- the result

was a surprisingly pink and thick dressing

all of the red in the fig flesh made a

vinaigrette that was a pretty shade of pink, 

almost like a raspberry vinaigrette

with the dressing made, and the walnuts toasted, I was ready to cook the mussels.  Just a bit of butter and oil in the pan, and I could sweat the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

the vegetables are sweated until soft and 

just slightly brown

Then about a cup of white wine is added, and brought up to a low boil.  Toss in the mussels, clap on the lid, and they are fully steamed in about six minutes.

Shaking the pan a few times while the mussels steam will make sure they heat evenly.  And it's fun rattling them around a bit in the pan.  Once they are fully open, place the mussels in bowls for serving, lifting them out of the pot with tongs or a slotted spoon.  Return the wine mixture to the heat, and bring to a rolling boil, to reduce by a half to two thirds.  While the sauce reduces, toss the arugula with the toasted walnuts, some crumbled goat cheese, and the fig vinaigrette.

Remove the sauce from the heat, and whisk in about three tablespoons of cold butter and a couple of tablespoons of finely chopped parsley.   The butter will emulsify the sauce a bit, and give it some body.  Pour the sauce over the mussels, and serve, with a little extra sprinkling of parsley for a little extra color and brightness.

the mussel sauce is lovely sopped up

with the crusty slices of bread

Next time I might even grill the bread, for an even more rustic flavor, and sturdier crunch.

With mussels that good and cheap, don't be surprised if you see a Thai mussel dish make an appearance here soon.  Mussels are wonderful steamed in coconut milk, Thai chiles, and cilantro.