Mussels With Red Onion Cider Crème Fraîche Recipes

Steps:

• Wash the mussels in a colander to remove any dirt and grit. Pick through them, removing any stringy 'beards' from the shells. If any of the mussels are slightly open, tap them on the work surface to see if they close (which means they are still alive) and discard any that remain open.
• Melt the butter in a large heavy-based saucepan. Sauté the spring onions and garlic over a high heat for 1 min before pouring in the cider or perry. Add the thyme and the mussels, cover and cook for 3-4 mins or until the mussels start to open. Add the cream, season and stir in the parsley.
• Divide the mussels between bowls. Pour over the sauce and any spring onions left in the pan. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the juices/.

Steps:

• In a wide skillet with a lid, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and shallot, and stir until very soft and beginning to turn gold, about 5 minutes; do not let them brown. Add thyme and bay leaf and stir. Add wine and 1 cup water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add mussels, cover, and cook until open, about 4 minutes.
• Transfer mussels to serving bowls with a slotted spoon and boil liquid in the pan until reduced to a sauce. Turn off heat and whisk in crème fraîche and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over mussels and serve with crusty bread.

Steps:

• Prepare the mussels. Scrub them to remove any barnacles and pull away the beard, then discard any that are damaged or won't close when tapped.
• Melt the butter in a large pan and cook the onions for 3-4 mins, then add the garlic. Pour the cider over and sprinkle in the sage, then bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook until reduced by half.
• Add the mussels, cover and cook over a medium heat (shaking the pan occasionally) for 3-4 mins until they have opened. Lift the mussels into a bowl and keep warm.
• Bubble the cooking liquid in the pan for 2 mins, then carefully blend in the crème fraîche. Heat through and pour over the mussels to serve.

Steps:

• Put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta. Fry the onion in the oil for 10 mins until softened and starting to colour. Pour in the wine, turn up the heat and let it bubble away until it reduces.
• Boil the pasta for 10 mins. Add crème fraîche to the onions, bring to the boil, tip in the mussels and cook for 5 mins until open (discard any that don't). Drain the pasta, return to the pan and tip in the mussel mixture. Toss with the herbs and serve.

Steps:

• PREPARATION: Raw mussels MUST be alive when you cook them, so careful preparation is key. Wash them under cold running water until it runs clear, and scrub if necessary. Pull the 'beard' away from each individual mussel - this is the byssus thread, a protein the mussel 'spins' so it can attach itself to rock or rope. Drain and then check; if the shell is tightly shut, this is a good indication that it's alive. If the mussel is open, tap it sharply for a few seconds - if it is alive, it will close. Discard any that appear to be dead as they can decompose very rapidly, and eating one that you aren't sure of is not worth the risk. Don't check them too far in advance; cook within a few minutes to be on the safe side.
• Heat the butter in a pan large enough to easily fit the mussels, then fry the bacon for 4 mins, turning occasionally until it starts becoming crisp. Throw in the shallots and thyme leaves, then cook for 1 min until softened. Whack the heat up to maximum and add the mussels to the pan, then pour over the cider. Place the lid on the pan, give it a good shake, then cook the mussels for 5-7 mins, shaking the pan occasionally, until all the mussels have opened. Discard any that haven't.
• Use a slotted spoon to scoop the mussels into bowls and place the pan back on the heat. Bring the juices to the boil and stir in the crème fraîche, if using. Pour the sauce over the mussels. Serve with hunks of crusty bread for mopping up the sauce.
• COOKING TIPS: Mussels are most often steamed open over a small amount of flavoured liquid, as in Moules marinière, although they can also be oven roasted and are particularly good cooked 'en papillote' (in a bag). Wine, stock, beer and cider are all great for cooking mussels, but take care not to add salt to the liquid as mussel juice can be very salty. Drop the mussels into the liquid, cover with a tight-fitting lid, then cook until they have opened and the meat has settled into one side of the shell; this usually takes 3-4 minutes. Avoid overcooking as the meat shrivels and becomes tough. Check them all again before serving and discard any that haven't opened. If a mussel is unopened at this stage, this indicates that it was already dead. You will probably notice the colour of the meat varies between beige and orange. This is an indication of sex - beige for male and orange for female; there is no difference in flavour. Once cooked, mussels are usually lifted into a bowl and the cooking liquor is reduced by simmering. Pull the meat from one shell and then use that shell as a pincer to remove meat from the rest. Serve simply with crusty bread - lovely!

Steps:

• Place shallots and wine in a large, heavy sauce pan (or cast iron, french oven for larger quanities of mussels) and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Add mussels to pan and steam, covered, for about 3 minutes or until the shells open.
• Remove mussels from the sauce pan, draining liquid back into the pot.
• Discard any mussles that do not open.
• Divide mussels among individual serving bowls and set a side.
• Strain cooking liquid and return to sauce pan.
• Add cream, saffron, salt, pepper and reduce until the sauce just starts to thicken.
• Pour sauce over mussels in the serving bowls and serve.