Moules et frites!

A couple of weeks ago we made mussels and fries, just like Belgium! It was very exciting.

Les Moules

1.5 lb fresh mussels
1 handful parsley
5-1/10 fl. oz. cream
2 cups white wine
4 shallots
(I also included 1 or 2 stalks of celery.)

For the mussels:
Clean the mussels and discard any open ones. Sweat the finely diced shallots in a little butter, and add the white wine. Add the mussels and cover. (The celery goes in here too if you are using it.) After about 3 minutes remove the lid, add the mussels, cream and chopped parsley. Remove from the heat, serve in a deep dish with the fries and crusty bread. (Remembering to discard any closed mussels at this point).
(from foodgeeks.com)

My notes:
The half-and-half did the same thing it did with the tomato soup last time I tried to use a lower-fat version. I don't know what to do about that. John said it has to do with acidity so maybe next time I'll try a pinch of baking soda in the broth before putting the milk. Or just use cream, but I'd rather not.
Also, 5 and 1/10th ounces of cream? We concluded it must be a conversion from a metric recipe. I just put in ... some. Several glugs. I didn't measure.

However, since these both cook and cool quickly and are not as good when lukewarm (as I discovered), before you do the mussels, you should be sure to finish

Les Frites

The recipe called for one pound of maris piper potatoes. We had no idea what that meant or where to find them so we just got two baking potatoes. It worked fine.

Slice the potato into thin strips (2mm x 2mm) and rinse in salted water. Heat a deep fat fryer to 325°F/160°C (preferably using sunflower or groundnut oil). Place the fries in and cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Turn up the deep fryer to 375°F/190°C and salt the fries. Add the fries back to the oil for around 1 minute until golden and crispy.
(this part also from foodgeeks.com)

My notes:
Vegetable oil was what we had so that is what we used. Also we just did it in a deep frying pan because there was no other option. The first batch turned out pretty good but not brown; the second batch browned better - I think the oil was hotter when they went in for the second frying - but tasted a little burnt to me. I don't know if that's because there were potato bits left over in the oil from the first batch, or what. I liked the first batch better; he liked the second.

I need to find a good recipe for homemade mayo. Then it would be truly authentic. Still, yum. I was happy and nostalgic, and though kind of messy, it was pretty quick and cheap for something that feels all gourmet and fancy.