Mussels with Cider, Cream, and Mustard
Serves 4
Cheap, versatile, and incredibly easy to cook, mussels are a busy
cook’s best friend in the kitchen: throw some garlic and wine into a
pot, add the mussels, cover, and a few minutes later you have
dinner. Erickson raises the bar and uses more eclectic ingredients—
a dry cider, spicy mustard, and cream—but the essentials are still
the same. The Domaine Dupont cider Erickson uses is notably
bitter. When I make this I sometimes use a sweeter alcoholic cider,
which she warned me against (“That’s not what we’re going for”),
but truthfully I kind of like the play between the sweet cider, the
briny mussels, and the spicy mustard. Proceed as you wish. Serve
with crusty bread and a glass of leftover cider, and you’re set.1 pound mussels
All-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cups dry English cider
1 tablespoon spicy mustard (try Beaufor)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup heavy cream