Mussels with Tarragon Cream

Well, I've gone and done it! I joined Lori at RecipeGirl in her Ten in 10 Challenge!


It's really quite a simple Challenge and you can adjust the Challenge to your own needs and schedule. Originally, I thought the Challenge was to lose 10lbs in ten weeks but it's really ten weeks to a healthier life and I need to start working out regularly again. I was so good for almost three years, I worked out four times a week and then sort of fell off the wagon! I've had surgery twice in the past two yrs and being my recovery took a little longer then we expected, I just never could seem to return to my workout routine. Well, I've got another surgery in my future and I have to start now or possibly wait another year or so! I plan to be back at the gym January 4th and will workout, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday of every week until my next surgery! Wish me luck!

Even though I did not join Ten in 10 to lose weight, I'm looking forward to posting at least one Lo-Cal Recipe a week. For my first Lo-Cal Recipe I found one I thought I would like on Weight Watchers, of course I had to adjust it a little to my own taste. The Mussels in Tarragon Cream was good but I thought it was a little too rich. If I was making it again I would still eliminate the Pernod and substitute 2% Milk for the Cream, add 2 tsp of butter and cut down the fresh Tarragon to just 1 TBL.







Mussels with Tarragon Cream
Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers

2 tsp olive oil
4 medium shallot(s), finely chopped (I skipped)
1 small onion(s), finely chopped (I used 4 green onions, including tops)
1/2 cup(s) water, cold
2 fl oz liqueur, Pernod (I skipped)
1 cup(s) white wine
2 1/2 pound(s) raw mussels, in shell
1/4 cup(s) half-and-half cream
2 Tbsp fresh tarragon, minced
1/4 tsp table salt, or more to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or more to taste

Weight Watcher Points: 7
Servings: 4

Scrub the mussels with a vegetable brush under running water; discard any with broken shells or that remain opened when tapped.

Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add shallots and onions; cook until just wilted, about 3 minutes.

Remove pot from heat and add water, Pernod and wine. Return to heat; simmer for 1 minute.

Add mussels and cover pot. Increase heat to high and cook, shaking pot once or twice during steaming, until mussels open, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove mussels from liquid using a strainer or slotted spoon; place them in a large bowl. (Remember to throw away any unopened mussels.)

Boil remaining liquid until it’s reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; stir in cream, tarragon, salt and pepper. Pour liquid over mussels and serve immediately. Yields about 2 cups per serving.







All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

Whisk Wednesdays - Mouclade or Mussels in a Wine Cream Sauce

This week for Whisk Wednesdays we were supposed to make Spiced Shrimp Balls. But being on a recession budget and the price of fresh shrimp, I opted to make Mouclade or Mussels in Wine and Cream Sauce.

I made this dish the easiest way possible not the Le Cordon Bleu way, which means tons of steps and many, MANY dishes to wash. And although I have four other Mussel recipes on my blog, this one is so far my favorite. It was fabulous and Mr. Tastebuds loved it! The biggest difference in this recipe was the wonderful flavor the Italian Parsley added. And being I added it towards the end of cooking, you could taste the full flavor which was just so darn good!







Mouclade
Recipe adapted from Le Cordon Bleu at Home

3 lbs of fresh mussels (I used a lb per person)
6 TBL butter (I used 1 TBL)
1 large onion, chopped fine (I used 5 green onions including tops, chopped)
1 large shallot (I skipped)
1/2 c. white wine
2 TBL chopped parsley (I used abt 1/2 c chopped parsley)
Fresh ground pepper
1/2 c creme fraiche or heavy cream (I used lite cream or coffee cream)
1 sprig of fresh thyme

My additions:
1/4 c grated Parmesan
1/4 c fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
1/2 c. plus 2 TBL EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
3 cloves of garlic

1. Scrub and de-beard mussels and rinse in cold water.. Discard any mussel with a cracked shell. If the mussel is open just tap it and if it does not slowly close then discard it.

2. In a large pot melt butter. Add green onions and 1 clove chopped garlic and sauté about 3 minutes. Add wine and bring to a simmer. Add mussels and cover until mussels open, about 4 to 6 minutes. When mussels are all fully open, scoop them out with a slotted spoon. Discard any mussels that didn't open.

3. In a blender add basil, Parmesan cheese, basil, parsley, thyme, olive oil, cream and garlic and whiz until thoroughly blended.

4. Add cream mix to butter/onion mix in the pan and heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over mussels and serve.








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

TFF- Steamed Mussels

I made Tyler's Creamed Garlicky Mussels last week and they were so delicious that I decided to try Tyler's Steamed Mussels this week!

The Creamy Garlicky Mussels and Streamed Mussels are very similar but the Steamed Mussels recipe does have fresh tomatoes and hot pepper flakes added to the sauce. And while contemplating this recipe I found another wonderful product, Hot Pepper Paste, and it's in a tube! I am thrilled with this product! I don't use much heat in my dishes but I do add a touch of hot pepper once in a while so the ease of the paste being in a tube is wonderful. Again, just squeeze out the desired amount, recap and store in the refrigerator until you need it again.

I enjoyed this meal but Mr. Tastebuds loved it! In fact he said several times that he liked this version over the Creamy Garlicky Mussels. But, I like the Creamy Garlicky Mussels. So the next time I make this dish I will just make the sauce and divide it and add the tomatoes and hot pepper to his half!

Notice how the kernels on the ear of corn are two different shades of yellow, light and dark? In Michigan we called this variety of corn Sugar and Gold. It really is the best corn ever and whenever I find it I always buy enough for dinner that night. I really should go back to the market and buy a few dozen ears and freeze it for this winter. There's really nothing better then a fresh-frozen ear of corn when there's two foot of snow on the ground!







Steamed Mussels
Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence

4 pounds mussels
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, shaved
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup chicken broth, low-sodium
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and cut in large dice
1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Rinse the mussels under cold running water while scrubbing with a vegetable brush. Discard any with broken shells. Heat oil in a 6 to 8-quart stockpot. Saute the shallot, garlic and thyme to create a base flavor. Add the mussels and give them a good toss. Add wine, lemon juice, chicken broth and red pepper flakes; cover the pot and steam over medium-high for 5 minutes until the mussels open. Toss in the tomato, parsley and butter, recover the pot, and steam for another minute to soften. The tomatoes should keep their shape. Serve with plenty of grilled garlic bread to sop up the broth.







Please visit Tyler Florence Fridays and see what the rest of Tyler's groupies are up too this week.





By the way our tomatoes are slowly starting to come in! YES...YES...YES!







All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

TFF - Creamy Garlicky Mussels

This week my market had Mussels on sale and since I've been craving shellfish I picked up 2 lbs. I thought 2 lbs would be plenty for the two of us. I was wrong.

The recipe suggests serving the Mussels with a crusty French Garlic Bread. We have a wonderful French Bakery right in town and so this morning I picked up a loaf of freshly baked bread. I cut the loaf into thirds thinking that 1-10" piece of garlic bread would be enough. I was wrong.

Tyler's Creamy Garlicky Mussels was fantastic!! Oh how I wish I had bought 4 lbs of mussels and made an entire loaf of broiled Garlic French Bread. While making the dish it smelled so fabulous, my mouth was watering and this does not happen to me very often! Tyler's recipe for Steamed Mussels is very similar and I think I might make that next week!

I made the recipe as written but I did add about 10-12 large fresh minced basil leaves and 2 TBL of minced fresh Tarragon. And this recipe was so easy and took less then 10 minutes to prepare so I am putting it in my "Call-it-Dinner" category!







Creamy Garlicky Mussels
Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence

4 pounds mussels
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Optional:
10-12 fresh, minced basil leaves
1 TBL minced tarragon

Serving suggestion: crusty French bread

Scrub the mussels with a vegetable brush under running water; discard any with broken shells or that remain opened when tapped.

In a large pot over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter in the olive oil. Add the garlic, thyme, and lemon slices and cook until everything has softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mussels and stir to coat them with all the flavors. Add the wine, then the chicken broth; cover the pot and steam for 10 to 12 minutes until the mussels open.

Remove the mussels from the pot. Take the meat out of 10 of the mussels and put them back into the pot along with the remaining butter. Using an immersion blender, buzz the liquid until the sauce thickens and becomes creamy; taste and adjust seasoning.

Divide the remaining mussels among the serving bowls and spoon over the sauce. Serve with plenty of crusty French garlic bread to dip in the sauce.


Garlic Bread

1 small loaf of crusty French bread
4 TBL soft butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced.

Cut the bread in half, horizontally. In a small bowl mix the butter and garlic. Spread butter mixture over the the two bread halves. Place on a sturdy baking pan and pop under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. Watch this carefully as it will burn quickly.







Please visit Tyler Florence Fridays and see what the rest of Tyler's groupies are up too this week.








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Whisk Wednesday -- Billy Bi aux Paillettes

Somehow I have my Whisk Wednesdays weekly recipes all mixed up. Last week I was so busy with work and Easter prep I totally forgot to post my WW dish which was Frog Legs! I honestly did not even think about it until Saturday and with Easter being the following day, I did not have time to write up the post. The Frog Legs were wonderful and I will post that recipe another day.

I decided to do a recipe rewind for next weeks Whisk Wednesday dish with the Billy Bi, Mussel Soup, but I jumped ahead of myself and made it this week instead. Is this getting confusing? Eventually it will all work out, it's just that I'm a little bit out of sync with our weekly Whisk Schedule.

Any ways for this week I decided to surpass the Le Cordon Bleu recipe and made my own version of Billy Bi. We do enjoy the recipes in Le Cordn Bleu but seafood especially shellfish needs garlic...lots of garlic! And if I do say so myself, my version of Billy Bi was delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I really wanted to make the Cheese Straws but again I was a bit pressed for time due to the upcoming holiday and so opted to serve the soup with my Fennel Seed Breadsticks which I bake every week so always have a fresh supply at the ready.









Billy Bi aux Paillettes
Recipe adapted from "Le Cordon Bleu at Home"

Cheese Straws:
1 1/2 flour
3/4 c. cake flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 -3/4 c. cold water
2 TBL butter, melted
14 TBL butter
1 egg
2 oz Parmesan Cheese, grated (1/2 c)

Mussel Soup:
2 lbs mussels
3 TBL butter
2 medium shallots, chopped fine
1 c. dry white wine
8 c. water
1 stalk celery
Freshly ground pepper
2 TBL flour
2/3 c. heavy cream
2 TBL coarse chopped chives


Billy Bi (Mussel Soup)
Recipe developed by Big-Black-Dog

2 lbs mussels
8 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. dry white wine
3 stalks of celery, chopped
6 green onion, sliced thin, including the green tops
3 cloves of garlic
2 TBL EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
2 TBL butter
3 TBL flour
1/2 c. heavy cream
6-7 large fresh basil leaves, minced
Salt and Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Optional: Mushroom, sliced **See NOTE

In a heavy bottomed pot add EVOO and whole garlic cloves. Simmer the garlic until each clove is just soft and golden brown. Remove garlic and mash with a fork. Return garlic to pan and add butter. Add chopped celery and mushrooms and saute for abt 2 minutes.

Add the mussels and just simmer until all the mussels have opened. Remove the mussels with tongs and set aside to cool.

Sprinkle flour over the celery and make a rue. As soon as flour is well mixed, add the minced basil and wine blending the rue thoroughly. Add chicken stock and heat thoroughly. The mussels should be cool enough to handle and remove the mussels from their shells saving several in shell to garnish the soup. Add the cream and blend. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Serve hot and garnish with the mussels in shell.

NOTE: I had about 8 mushrooms that needed to be used so I added them to the soup.







All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Whisk Wednesday -- Coquilles Saint Jacques Dieppoise

This week for Whisk Wednesdays we were supposed to make Cuisses de Grenouille aux Herbes (Herbed Frog Legs). I love Frog Legs and my market had some frozen last week but when I went to buy them, they were sold out! I should have bought them last week but for some reason I didn't....my loss! But I could find fresh Canadian Mussels so I made next week's WW's recipe which is Coquilles Saint Jacques Dieppoise (Scallops with Mussels and Shrimp in Cream Sauce). Now I am either a week ahead or a week behind depending on how you look at it!

Although I've lived in Florida where Mussels are a staple, I've never made them before. Compared to other Le Cordon Bleu recipes this was an easy dish to prepare, unfortunately, I did not like this dish at all. And Mr. Tastebuds said it was okay but complained about the scallops and lack of seasoning. The dish was very bland and needed some garlic and basil. Scallops are best seared or sauteed to bring out the sweetness in the meat and just simmering them in a wine sauce did not bring out the best of scallops. Also I used heavy cream and I thinking that I should have used cream fraiche and this would have added a bit more flavor, but I still don't think it would have added enough flavor to make this a fabulous dish.








Coquilles Saint Jacques Dieppoise
Recipe adapted from Le Cordon Bleu at Home

2 lbs mussels
2 TBL butter
2 large shallots, chopped fine
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 TBL chopped parsley
Fresh ground pepper
2 TBL butter
1 lb mushrooms
Salt
10 oz medium sized shrimp
18 large sea scallops
1/2 c. creme fraiche or heavy cream (I used heavy cream)
1 TBL chopped parsley







All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog