Mussels with Wine and Lemon Cream Sauce - Chef Kip Peters, Executive Chef, South Bend Country Club

This dish can serve as an entree or even as a soup or side dish.  We've noticed that Chef Peters normally incorporates zest along with the juice whenever he uses citrus and this practice is very effective.  He used it here as well.  Be sure you pick through the mussels and remove any that may be dead.

Ingredients:

48 mussels, beards removed
1 tbsp butter
2 shallots, minced 
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
2 oz. fresh chopped basil
2 lemons, zested and juiced

Melt butter in a dutch oven.  Add shallots and garlic and saute briefly.  Add white wine and mussels to pot; simmer until mussels open.  Discard any mussels that do not open.  With a slotted spoon, remove remaining mussels and set aside.

Reduce wine mixture by one half.  Add cream, lemon juice and zest and simmer until thickened.  Add basil.  Pour over mussels and serve.  Serves 8.