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1 cup dry white wine
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1 shallot, coarsely chopped
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1/2 lemon, thickly sliced
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10 thyme sprigs, plus 1/2 teaspoon minced thyme
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5 whole peppercorns
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1 1/2 pounds medium mussels (about 60), scrubbed and debearded
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3 thick slices bacon, chopped
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5 tablespoons unsalted butter
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1 medium leek, white and tender green parts only, finely chopped
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3 tablespoons heavy cream
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Kosher salt and black pepper
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2/3 cup Margot's Morsels Killer Garlic, copped to a coarse crumb
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1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
In a saucepan large enough for all of the mussels to fit in roughly a single layer, combine the wine, shallot, lemon, thyme sprigs and peppercorns and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, cover and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mussels open, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard any mussels that don't open. Pull the mussels out of their shells and discard half of each shell. Arrange the remaining half shells on a baking sheet in 1 layer and place a mussel in each. Strain the broth into a glass measuring cup, leaving the solids behind.
In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over moderately high heat, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a dish and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet.
Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in the skillet with the bacon fat. Add the leek and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the mussel broth and cook until syrupy, 15 minutes. Add the cream and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the bacon and minced thyme; season with salt and pepper. Let cool. Top each mussel with a teaspoon of the leek mixture.
When ready to serve. Preheat the oven to 375°. Roughly chop the morsels and stir in the parsley. Sprinkle the mixture over the mussels and bake in the upper third of the oven for about 5 minutes, or until hot and bubbling. Enjoy!