Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

2 tb (1/4 stick) unsalted butter 2 lb Fresh mussels; scrubbed and
1/2 lb Leeks; white part only, -debearded
-finely sliced(about 2 cups) 1 l Bottle English dry hard
1/2 c Celery; white part only, -cider
-finely sliced 1/4 c (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 ea To 6 shallots; finely 1/4 c All purpose flour
-chopped (about 1/3 cup) 2 c Whipping cream
8 ea Whole peppercorns Nutmeg; freshly grated
4 ea Whole allspice berries Salt and freshly ground
1 ea Bay leaf -pepper
1/2 ts Dried thyme; crumbled Fresh chives; snipped

Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in nonaluminum stockpot over
medium-high heat. Add leek, celery, and shallots and saute until
wilted and just beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Add
peppercorns, allspice, bay leaf and thyme and saute 2 to 3 minutes to
flavor vegetables. Add mussels and toss gently to blend. Pour in
cider and bring to a simmer. Cover and steam 5 minutes. Remove
opened mussels using slotted spoon and transfer to large bowl. Cover
with damp cloth and keep warm. Continue cooking remaining mussels
until opened, about 5 minutes. Transfer opened mussels to bowl;
discard any unopened mussels. Reserve broth. Remove mussels from
shells. Reserve 2 shells for each serving of soup; discard remaining
shells.
Ladle reserved broth through strainer lined with several layers of
moistened cheesecloth. Rinse and dry stockpot. Melt remaining 1/4
cup butter in stockpot over medium-high heat until foamy. Add flour
and whisk 2 to 3 minutes. Blend in broth 1 cup at a time. Cook
until mixture begins to thicken. Stir in cream, nutmeg, salt and
pepper. Continue cooking until slightly thickened and very smooth.
Reduce heat to low, add mussels and stir until just heated through.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle soup into heated bowls. Garnish
with reserved shells. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

"Hearty Farmhouse Suppers" "Bon Appetit" February, 1983. Typos by
Jeff Pruett.
Submitted By JEFF PRUETT On 11-27-95

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