Moules

Time to get back to 'normal' .....whatever that is, as the holidays are over...
We drove from Benoistville to Paris, then on to Venise for 3 nights (check out Novotel - kids go free until the age of 16...great breakfast buffet and often a pool which, given the heat that we're not used to, is fab)and from there to Croatia where we met up with some pals for a week of sailing....and ended our holiday in Vienna...

On the cookery front, I felt like Rick Stein when 'Gus' our friend and skipper went diving and presented me with a bucket of fresh mussels ....
So,obviously, busman's holiday apart, I had to come up with something to feed the crew...

Mussels in Garlic butter...easy, tasty - a classic french recipé. All you need is:

Garlic butter (see prawns in garlic butter recipé) and cleaned, debearded mussels...

Place mussels in a large, heavy based pot with a glass of wine, cover and place over a high heat for 3 - 4 minutes, shaking pot now and then, until the mussels have opened. Drain into a colander, tehn break off and disgard the empty half shells, leaving the mussels in the other shell.
Preheat the oven/grill to very high. Place a little garlic butter on each mussel ( yes, a very good friend of mine tells me life is too short for stuffing mushrooms - mussels too I imagine, but what a taste....)
Put into oven until bubbling hot and serve with lots of crusty bread and a dry white (Muscadet/Rosé)

Prawns in Garlic Butter

For the garlic butter:

• 1 bulb of garlic, peeled
  


• loads of chopped parsley ( buy it frozen to save time, if you like)



• 125g butter, at room temp.



• a tiny drop of red wine



• a drop of olive oil



• salt and pepper

Whiz all together in a food processor. Spoon onto some film and roll into a 'sausage'. Freeze until needed. It's dead handy to have in the freezer and can be used in loads of recipés. ( I use it for my prawns in garlic butter or sliced, from frozen, over beef cooked on the bone over the barbeque/open fire)
Peel 1 kilo of (cooked) prawns and heat a large pan. Melt some garlic butter and add prawns. Heat quickly, add a little more butter, some freshly-ground pepper and a little freshly-squeezed lemon juice. Sprinkle some chopped flat-leaf parsley on top. Serve with lots of crusty bread and some dry white wine (Muscadet is perfect) as a starter/light lunch.

Alternatively, place 6/12 prawns in escargot dishes (1 in each hole) put a little garlic butter on top. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs/parmesan cheese on top and bake in a hot oven until bubbling.

Bon appétit Britt......enjoy!

Coquilles St Jacques - scallops - are on every fishmonger's stall here at this time of year. We're lucky enough to have ones that are fished locally, great value for money and if you buy more than 5 kilos, the poissonier will clean them out for you too - le bonheur!
This recipé is seasonal, tasty, and easy to make with a certain show-off factor that'll dazzle all-in-sundry!



Scallops with Leeks and Crème Fraîche

Ingredients
Serves four
16 scallops (3 or 4 scallops per person) out of their shells and thoroughly cleaned – that’s the hard part - ask your fishmonger nicely!
4 leeks (only the white part) sliced into rounds
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Butter and olive oil for frying
1 pot of crème fraîche
Salt and pepper
Chopped chives
Optional:
‘Fleurons’ (little cresents of puff pastry – found in supermarkets here/maybe ordered at the boulangerie.... look great on top of the finished dish)

Directions:
1. Melt butter with the oil in a large saucepan (I use my Le Creuset one as it’s tableware too and saves on the washing-up) and add the garlic, then the leeks. Cook them gently for about 15 minutes taking care not to burn them. (Sometimes I add a little grated carrot, just for colour).
2. Put the lid on the saucepan, so that they steam away gently. Add the cream and mix thoroughly. Reheat gently and add salt and freshly-ground pepper.
3. Slice the scallops horizontally, so that they’ll cook quicker. Melt some butter and a drop of olive oil in a large frying pan and add the white part of the scallops, cooking gently over a low heat. It’s a question of 2 minutes. Quickly add the roes (the orange part of the scallop) and cook for 1 minute.
4. Meanwhile, reheat the ‘fleurons’ in a moderate oven if you are using them.
5. Stir the scallops into the leek, carrot and cream mix. Add some chopped chives (frozen if it is at the end of the year as there are none left in the garden.)
6. Put on nice big white plates, with the fleurons delicately placed on top and serve with basmati rice.

P.S You can freeze fresh scallops really well too!!