Mussels With Saffron Sauce

• 4 pounds mussels, scrubbed
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 egg yolk at room temperature
• 1/2 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 18 teaspoon saffron

1. Steam mussels in wine until shells open.
2. When cool enough to handle, remove mussels from shells and place in bowl.
3. Cover with 1 cup of cooking liquid.
4. Reserve enough half shells for number of mussels you have and refrigerate in plastic bag.
5. In small bowl, using a whisk, beat egg yolk with vinegar and mustard.
6. Season with generous pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper.
7. Secure bowl on towel, potholder or rubber mat so it does not slide and, beating continuously, dribble in oil in thin stream.
8. Mixture will gradually thicken to mayonnaise.
9. If you are reluctant to make mayonnaise by hand you can use food processer but ingredients must be doubled for it to work, yielding twice as much mayonnaise as needed for recipe.
10. Alternately, you can use 3/4 of cup of commercial mayonnaise.
11. To make saffron seasoning, bring to boil 1/2 cup of cooking liquid that mussels were sitting in and pour 1 1/2 tablespoons over saffron in small dish.
12. Allow saffron to steep for 15 minutes, then strain hot liquid into mayonnaise and mix well.
13. Drain mussels well and mix with saffron mayonnaise.
14. Just before serving, spoon mussel with sauce onto each half shell.
15. You should have enough mussels to serve about 8 to each guest.

mussels, white wine, egg yolk, whitewine vinegar, mustard, salt, vegetable oil, saffron

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/76 (may not work)