This recipe incorporates the trditional flavors of Normandy: cream, cider and calvados.

This recipe features in our course, ‘Mastering Mussels: From Good to Gourmet’.

The flavors of Normandy are deeply rooted in the pillars of cream, cider, calvados, and apples. In this region of France, these ingredients grace almost every recipe, and this mussel recipe is no exception. It takes a unique approach by incorporating cider instead of wine to steam the mussels, enhancing their flavors. But what makes this recipe particularly special is using the cooking juices to create a velouté sauce infused with cider and mustard.

Serves 2

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 50 g (4 tbsp) finely chopped onion

• 30 g (1 oz) unsalted butter

• 20 g (0.7 oz) plain flour

• 150 ml (5 fl oz) hard apple cider (beverage)

• 1 kg (2.2 lb) fresh mussels

• 2 pinches of freshly ground pepper

• 50 ml (3.5 fl oz) heavy cream

• 1 tbsp mustard

• 2 tbsp parsley or chives, to garnish

MISE EN PLACE

• Prepare a large pot for cooking the mussels.

• Wash and scrub the mussels to remove any grit stuck to the shells. Cut off the hairlike seaweed protruding from the clasp of the mussel, known as the beard.

METHOD

• In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Sauté the onions for about 10 minutes until they become soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Mix in the flour and cook for an additional minute or two to create an onion-flavored roux. Turn off the heat and set the saucepan aside.

• Heat half of the cider in the pot with a dash of pepper. Add the mussels to the pot, then cover it and let the mussels steam for 5 to 6 minutes, shaking the pot occasionally. Once the mussels are cooked, transfer them to a separate dish and set aside.  

• Filter the mussel cooking juices through a fine mesh sieve into a jug, then pour into the saucepan with the onion-flavored roux. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the velouté thickens.

• Add the remaining cider and cream to the saucepan. Allow the mixture to reduce over high heat for about 3 minutes, until the velouté reduces and thickens slightly. When ready, turn off the heat then stir in the mustard

• Remove the top shell from each mussel and arrange the half shells decoratively on a serving dish. Drizzle the velouté sauce over the mussels and garnish with freshly chopped chives.

  TIPS

• The mustard is optional, you can do without it.

• Never boil the sauce again once mustard has been added. You can warm up the sauce but only over a gentle heat.