Mussel Saffron Soup

• 1 teaspoon butter or stick margarine
• 1/2 cup minced shallots
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 50 mussels (about 2 pounds), scrubbed and debeared
• 2 cups clam juice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chervil or parsley

1. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add minced shallots, and saute 3 minutes. Add the wine and next 5 ingredients (wine through garlic); bring to a boil. Add mussels.
2. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until the mussels open; discard any unopened shells. Strain the mussel mixture through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a medium bowl, reserving cooking liquid. Reserve 12 shells with meat intact.
3. Remove meat from the remaining shells. Chop meat and add to pan; discard shells. Add reserved cooking liquid, clam juice, black pepper, and red pepper; bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the milk, and cook 1 minute or until soup is thoroughly heated. Pour soup into serving bowls. Top with reserved mussels and chervil.

butter, shallots, white wine, fresh parsley, thyme, saffron threads, bay leaf, garlic, mussels, clam juice, freshly ground black pepper, ground red pepper, milk, chervil

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mussel-saffron-soup (may not work)