Recipe - Hfs2- Scottish Mussel Brose - Ba 283

2 tablespoon (One fourth stick) unsalted butter
One half pound Leeks; white part only,
finely cut or sliced up (about 2 cups)
One half cup Celery; white part only,
finely cut or sliced up
4 To 6 shallots; finely
chopped (about 1/3 cup)
8 Whole peppercorns
4 Whole allspice berries
1 Bay leaf
One half teaspoon Dried thyme; crumbled
2 pound Fresh mussels; scrubbed and
debearded
1 l Bottle English dry hard
cider
One fourth cup (One half stick) unsalted butter
One fourth cup All purpose flour
2 cup Whipping cream
Nutmeg; freshly grated
Salt and freshly ground
pepper
Fresh chives; snipped

Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in nonaluminum stockpot over
mediumhigh heat. Add leek, celery, and shallots and saute until wilted
and just beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Add peppercorns, allspice,
bay leaf and thyme and saute 2 to 3 minutes to flavor vegetables. Add
mussels and toss gently to blend. Pour in cider and bring to a simmer.
Cover and steam 5 minutes. Remove opened mussels using slotted spoon and
transfer to large bowl. Cover with damp cloth and keep warm. Continue
cooking remaining mussels until opened, about 5 minutes. Transfer opened
mussels to bowl; discard any unopened mussels. Reserve broth. Remove
mussels from shells. Reserve 2 shells for each serving of soup; discard
remaining shells.
Ladle reserved broth through strainer lined with several layers of
moistened cheesecloth. Rinse and dry stockpot. Melt remaining One fourth cup
butter in stockpot over mediumhigh heat until foamy. Add flour and whisk
2 to 3 minutes. Blend in broth 1 cup at a time. Cook until mixture begins
to thicken. Stir in cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until
slightly thickened and very smooth. Reduce heat to low, add mussels and
stir until just heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle soup into
heated bowls. Garnish with reserved shells. Sprinkle with chives and
serve.

"Hearty Farmhouse Suppers" "Bon Appetit" February, 1983. Typos by Jeff
Pruett.
Posted to MMRecipes Digest V4 #272 by Julie Bertholf
jewel1@ix.netcom.com on Oct 16, 1997