Mussels glazed with Cider Cream Sauce
- 1 12 lbs live mussels, scrubbed,washed and beards removed
- 2 small leeks, 1 cut in 1/2-inch dice,1 roughly chopped
- 10 ounces fish stock or 10 ounces water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 12 onion, roughly chopped
- 3 fresh tarragon leaves (optional)
- 1 star anise (optional)
- 10 ounces dry cider
- 5 ounces double cream
- salt and pepper
- Blanch the diced leek in the fish stock or water for a minute until tender.
- Strain, saving the stock, and leave the leeks to cool.
- Melt the knob of butter in a saucepan big enough to cook the mussels in.
- Add the onion, the other roughly chopped leek, tarragon (if using) and star anise.
- Cook for a few minutes until the onion is tender.
- Increase the heat and add the mussels.
- Stir the mussels in the pan and then add the cider and reserved stock.
- Bring to the boil, while stirring the mussels.
- After a few minutes, the mussels will begin to open.
- Discard any that don't open.
- Strain the mussels through a sieve into a large, clean pan, saving only the cider and mussel stock.
- Bring the stock to the boil and reduce by two-thirds by simmering gently.
- While the stock is reducing, take the mussels from their shells and keep them warm in a little of the stock.
- Add half the double cream and return to the boil.
- The sauce may well need to reduce further by a quarter in volume.
- It is ready when it just coats the back of a spoon.
- Add the reserved cooked diced leeks and mussels and warm through.
- Lightly whip the remaining cream.
- Pre-heat the oven broiler to hot.
- Add a knob of butter to the sauce with the egg yolk.
- Do not allow the sauce to boil or the egg will'scramble'.
- Fold in the whipped cream and check the seasoning.
- Spoon the mussels, leeks and sauce into serving bowls or plates and glaze under a pre-heated broiler.
- After a minute or two, the cider sauce will have glazed to a lovely golden brown.
live mussels, leeks, fish, butter, onion, tarragon, anise, cider, cream, salt
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/mussels-glazed-with-cider-cream-sauce-9367 (may not work)