Tried & Tested: Moules Marinières and Sauvignon de Touraine

This week I followed a recipe by The Guardian’s Felicity Cloake, devised following extensive research into how to make the perfect Moules Marinières. Her mammoth task included attempting recipes by such greats as Rick Stein, Elizabeth David, Raymond Blanc and Tom Aikens.

My task was slightly simpler – making the foolproof dish below while matching it with a French white wine. The classic combo is a glass of Muscadet, and you could look no further because it’s a brilliant pairing. But I thought it would be a nice idea to try something else from the Loire, a little bit further from the sea, to see if would also pass the test.

The wine I chose was Domaine de Pierre’s Sauvignon de Touraine 2014, a crisp, dry white with bright lemon and lime acidity and a hint of mint and sage leaf. The parsley, thyme and bay in the dish worked well with the herbaceousness of the wine, while the creamy texture of the mussels and buttery sauce contrasted with the citrus notes in the wine. Mussels are a strong flavoured seafood and this well textured wine coped admirably, developing a salty tang when paired with the dish.

This is a wine match fit for a king, but at a price you can afford everyday. Great as starter with crusty bread or make it a classy midweek main course with a side of French fries.

Moules Marinières

Serves 2

1kg mussels
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
1 bay leaf
150ml dry white wine
50g butter, cubed
A small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Serve with crusty bread or a portion of French fries

1. Rinse the mussels in cold running water, and then give them a good scrub and scrape to remove any barnacles or dirt. Discard any with broken shells, and give any open ones a sharp tap: if they don't close, then throw them away too, because they're dead. Pull out the beards – the fibrous little appendages which the mussels use to attach themselves to ropes or rocks, by pulling them sharply towards the hinge end of the mussel, then leave them to sit in cold water for a couple of hours until ready to use.

2. Put the chopped shallots, thyme leaves, bay leaf and wine into a large pan, and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down, and cook gently for 10 minutes, then turn up the heat to medium-high.

3. Drain the mussels and tip into the pan. Cover and cook until most of them have opened: about 3 minutes.

4. Add the butter and put the lid back on for 30 seconds to allow it to melt. Add the parsley and shake the pan well to distribute, then season gently and serve immediately, discarding any mussels which remain closed.

The original recipe was published on the Guardian's website  - the link is below:

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/jun/21/how-cook-perfect-moules-marinieres

By Chris Penwarden