Sunday, February 15, 2009

Mussels in Cognac Cream Sauce



[js]
I needed something to serve with our Method X Prime Rib and I settled for some shellfish. I picked up a couple of pounds of mussels on the way home.

I wanted something creamy and rich to go with the prime rib. I figure for this one night we might as well go all out in the decadence department.

I wanted to do a mussel chowder, but I was too lazy to start peeling potatoes. Besides, if the chowder was not a clam chowder, I knew that my brother wouldn't touch it.

So I thought to do a sort of mussel bisque. I said sort of, because when I was washing the mussels, I realized that I didn't have a lot of mussels. Not enough to feed 12 people anyways.

What I ended up doing was mussels in a cognac cream sauce, scooping out a three or four mussels per person for an appetizer-sized portion.

The dish
[js]
First, I diced some carrots, celery, and onions for a mirepoix base. I added a touch of flour while sautéeing the mirepoix.

Then, I added the mussels and a splash of cognac to steam the mussels.

When the mussels were done steaming, I finished the whole thing off with a few swirls of cream.

It is as simple as can be.

7 comments:

  1. That looks seriously delicious!

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  2. i haven't tried tahong cooked this way. but i'm sure i'm goin to like it. tahong+cognac+cream? what's not to like? ;oD

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  3. mmm. i just bought a bottle of coivossier (totally butchered that spelling) to cook some green pepercorn sauce for steak the other night and i realized that when a dish calls for cognac, it's TOTALLY worth it to buy cognac. the flavor is so good and strong and i realize you can't really substitute anything else if you want that flavor.

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  4. Cognac, eh? A sure winner in this kitchen!

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  5. I've yet to meet a mussels dish I didn't like...some of the tastiest stuff gifted by the sea. Cognac? Always good getting tipsy during dinner! lol

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  6. Joan Nova:
    Jescel:
    Ning:
    KC:
    Thanks! It was very rich. Good thing the cream sauce was a "sauce" and not a soup!

    we are never full:
    I don't think I could pick it out of a line-up... but it definitely had that wonderful heady aroma.

    Peter M:
    Haha... I'm sure the alcohol had evaporated by the time the dish was done cooking. ;)

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