In honor of the French national holiday, Bastille Day, celebrated on July 14th, my roommate decided we should host a bastille dinner this past weekend. The menu included brie, baguettes, a mixed green salad tossed with goat cheese, and avocado in a champagne vinegarette, steamed mussels, haricot vert beans with toasted almonds, roasted brussels sprouts and roasted potato with rosemary. Everything was so delicious, but my favorites of the evening were the mussels and champagne dressing. I have included these recipes below…Bon appetit!
Tyler Florence Steamed Mussels with Leeks, Garlic, Thyme, White Wine, and Butter
Ingredients, serves 6:
- 3.5 pounds mussels
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 leeks, white parts only, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 bunch fresh thyme
- 1 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions:
Rinse the mussels under cold running water while scrubbing with a vegetable brush. Remove the stringy mussel beards with your thumb and index finger as you wash them. Discard any mussels with broken shells.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, garlic, and thyme and cook until the vegetables cook down to a pulp, about 5 minutes. Add the mussels and give everything a good toss. Add the white wine. Cover and steam over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until the mussels open. Stir occasionally so that all the mussels are in contact with the heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and a drizzle of olive oil to the sauce remaining in the pot and swirl to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.
Original recipe, foodnetwork.com
Champagne Vinegarette, adapted from a Barefoot Contessa recipe
Ingredients, serves 6:
- 2 tablespoons good white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons good Champagne vinegar
- Pinch sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 extra-large egg yolk
- 1 cup good olive oil
- mixed salad greens
Directions:
For the dressing, place the vinegars, sugar, salt, pepper, mustard and egg yolk in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and blend for 1 minute. With the motor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube until the vinaigrette is thickened. Season, to taste.
Toss the salad greens with enough dressing to moisten.
Original recipe, foodnetwork.com
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