Penguin Books Australia

Free recipe from Manu's French Kitchen, Mussel and Saffron Pies, page 38.

Cassolettes de moules au safran

In Brittany we have amazing mussels called bouchots, which are very small but incredibly sweet and juicy. In Australia, I use farmed black mussels from South Australia both at home and in the restaurant and find them to be exceptionally good. I’ve visited the farms and was really impressed by their methods and high standards. This pie, with saffron and cream for luxury and leek for sweetness, is a great way to serve mussels.

1 kg black mussels, scrubbed and bearded
100 ml dry white wine
1 eschalot, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, bruised
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
3 black peppercorns
100 ml White Chicken Stock (see page 46)
80 ml pouring cream
pinch of saffron threads
freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small leek, white part only, cut into julienne (see page 209)
1 carrot, cut into julienne (see page 209)
1 sheet ready-rolled butter puff pastry, thawed
1 egg yolk

1. Discard any mussels with open or broken shells.
2. Place the wine, eschalot, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns in a wide frying pan over high heat. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the mussels, then cover and shake the pan for 3-4 minutes or until the shells just open. Remove the mussels using a large slotted spoon as soon as the shells open or they will become tough - some will take longer to cook than others. Place the mussels in a colander sitting over a bowl, discarding any with unopened shells. Remove the meat from
   the shells, checking each one and removing any beard still attached to the meat. Strain the cooking liquor through a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl, leaving any grit behind in the pan. Set aside.
3. Place the chicken stock, cream, saffron and 50 ml of the reserved mussel liquor in a saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 6 minutes or until reduced by half. Season to taste with pepper, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
4. Meanwhile, heat the butter and olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan over low heat. Add the leek and carrot, then cover and cook for 6-8 minutes or until just tender.
5. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
6. Divide the leek and carrot mixture and mussels among four 150 ml capacity ramekins (mine are 9 cm in diameter) or pie dishes. Pour over the cooled sauce.
7. Using a pastry cutter, cut out four 12 cm rounds of puff pastry and place one over the top of each ramekin, pressing down the sides firmly to seal well. Cut 4 mussel shapes from the remaining pastry and place one on top of each pie. Place the ramekins on a baking tray, brush the pastry tops with egg yolk, and using a wooden skewer or small knife, make a small hole in the centre of each one to allow the steam to escape. Bake for 12 minutes or until the pastry is puffed, golden and crisp. Serve.

Serves 4 as an entree or light meal