How to Impress Your Lady: Moules Meurnière

Gentleman,

Hot Mess here with a public service announcement: taking your lady friend(s) out to eat is sexy, but making food for us is sexier-- especially if it doesn't involve steak or pasta. That's why I'm going to help you out with a series of recipes that are simple, easy, and impressive. 

First up: Moules Meurnière or, rather, mussels steamed in white wine, garlic and shallots. 

Step 1: Prepare your mise en place. You'll need about 1-2 lbs of fresh mussels. Make sure to scrub and rid them of their beards. Next, chop 2 shallots and 2 cloves of garlic. You'll need 2 tablespoons of Italian parsley at the end. 

Mussels, Italian parsley, garlic, and shallots

2. Melt two tablespoons of unsalted butter. Make sure to use unsalted butter. The mussels will release their own salt. 

3. Add shallots. Stir. Add  just a touch of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Cook until translucent. 

4. Add garlic. Once the garlic becomes fragrant and a bit brown add about 1/2 cup of white wine. 

5. Immediately add the mussels and cover the pot with a lid. You'll know the mussels are cooked when they open. Every few minutes hold the lid to the pot with both hands and shake. This will redistribute the mussels so the same bivalves aren't at the bottom during the entire cooking process. Mussels should take between 5 and 8 minutes. Check to see if they're open every couple of minutes. 

6. At this point you can do one of two things. You can dump the entire pot into a big glass bowl, slice up a French baguette and call it a day. Or, you can remove the mussels with a slotted spoon and reduce the broth a bit so it's a thicker consistency. Either way, you'll be in for a delicious meal.