Billi Bi Soup From Pierre Franey Of The New York Times

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 lbs mussels
• 2 shallots, coarsely chopped
• 2 small onions, quartered
• 2 sprigs parsley
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 cup dry wine
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

Recipe

• 1 scrub the mussels well to remove all exterior sand and dirt.
• 2 place them in a large kettle with the shallots, onions, parsley, salt, black pepper, cayenne, wine, butter, bay leaf and thyme.
• 3 cover and bring to a boil.
• 4 simmer 5-10 minutes, or until the mussels have opened.
• 5 discard any mussels that do not open.
• 6 strain the liquid through a double thickness of cheesecloth.
• 7 reserve the mussels for another use or remove them from the shells and use them as a garnish.
• 8 bring the liquid in the saucepan to a boil and add the cream.
• 9 retirn to boil and remove from the heat.
• 10 add the beaten egg yolk and return to the heat long enough for the soup to thicken slightly.
• 11 do not boil.
• 12 serve hot or cold.
• 13 this dish may be enriched, if desired, by stirring 2 tbs of hollandaise sauce into the soup before it is served.