Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen

Mussels with white wine and cream (mariniére)

I love mussels and mu favorite is “moules mariniéres”, mussels in wine and cream. It is so quick to make and so delicious, we eat it often. The best time to eat mussels is from july to january. These mussels are from la baie du Mont-St-Michel. I dont give exact quantities, taste and add as you go along.

Moules mariniéres(mussels with white wine and cream)

Recipe:

  • About 1kg mussels
  • 1 large onion
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • knob of butter
  • olive oil
  • 1 lemon for zest and juice
  • glass of dry white wine
  • cream to taste
  • salt and pepper
  • fresh dill chopped
  1. Put the mussels in a large bowl with water and salt and leave for 5 minutes. Wash and rinse under cold water, pull out the beard and discard any open and broken mussels.
  2. Chop the onion and garlic and add to a big casserole.
  3. Add olive oil and a knob of butter, and sauté the onions and garlic until translucent.
  4. Add the glass of wine and some freshly squeezed lemon juice to the onions and leave to cook for about 5 minutes.
  5. Add the mussles, cover with a lid and cook for about 5 minutes or until the mussels have all opened up completely.
  6. Add the cream, turn off the heat and scatter the chopped dill and lemon zest over the mussels.
  7. Season and serve the mussels immedately with bread to mop up the juices and a glass of white wine.

Serves 4

Pinch of salt:

  1. The saltwater before rinsing helps to remove sand from the mussels.
  2. Discard all broken mussels and those that are already open.
  3. Dont cook the mussels too log to avoid them being tough and rubbery. Check on them, it takes only 3-5minutes.
  4. Replace the dill with fresh parsley.

Baguette for the delicious cream sauce

Scatter with freshly chopped dill

Mopping the sauce with some fresh, crusty baguette.

Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen

Sweet potato and orange velouté.

A sweet potato soup is very similar in taste to a butternut soup, but it is much creamier. With fall in full swing, we make full use of all the root vegetables available, roasted in the oven, in soups, sautéed, braised. And sweet potatoes lend itself to all those cooking methods. Just in a soup, you can enjoy it in so many ways, see Pinch of salt down the post.

Recipe:

  • 1 large sweet potato(or about 800 g)
  • 1 large onion
  • 250 ml vegetable stock
  • 1 large orange
  • Peel of an orange, washed with the white flesh of the orange removed from the peel.
  • fresh sage leaves
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 slices of thinly sliced serrano ham
  • Cream to taste
  • Créme fraîche or thick cream
  1. Peel the onion, slice and add to some olive oil in a casserole. Sauté until translucent.
  2. Peel and cut the sweet potato in chunks. Add to the onions along with the stock and the orange peel.
  3. Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes until very soft and tender.
  4. Remove from the heat and add the juice of the orange.
  5. Mix the soup with a hand blender until smooth and without lumps.
  6. Season with salt and pepper and add cream to taste. Mix and set aside.
  7. Heat some olive oil and fry the sage leaves for about 2 minuts until crispy. Drain on some kitchen towel.
  8. Fry the serrano ham in the same oil until slighly crispy and drain on kitchen towel.
  9. Serve the soup in bowls and to with a dollop of créme fraîche, a slice of ham and some crispy sage leaves.

Serves 4

Pinch of salt:

  • Omit the orange juice and add a clove of garlic, fresh thyme, chicken stock and grated nutmeg to the soup.
  • Add chopped fresh ginger along with the orange juice.
  • Add 125 ml white wine.
  • Add a bouquet garni (parsley stems, thyme, bay leaves & lemon peel wrapped and tied in the green part of a leek) along with the stock.