Let’s face it… Nobody can make mussels as great as the ones at the “RITZ” but I love them so much that I keep trying. These are super good and can carry me over ’til I move back to California and I can get my “fix” for real!

SAUCE:

• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 3 TBS. fresh lemon juice
• 3 TBS. unsalted butter cut into three pieces
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. white pepper

MUSSELS:

• 2 cups water
• 2 medium white onions, diced
• 2 lg. celery stalks, diced
• 4 lg. parsley sprigs
• 3 long lemon peel strips
• 1 lg. bay leaf
• 3 TBS. cider vinegar
• 3 doz. small mussels, scrubbed & debearded
• lemon wedges

For the sauce, boil the wine, the vinegar and the lemon Juice until it is reduced to about 3/4 of a cup, (approx. 6 min.). Whisk in the butter one piece at a time. Add the cream, the salt, and the pepper. Whisk this about 2 minutes and set aside.

Now, for the mussels…

Combine all of the ingredients in a fairly large, non-aluminum  saucepan. Bring this to a boil and add the mussels all at once. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer just until the mussels open, (approx. 5 minutes). Discard any mussels that do not open.  Drain and arrange them, open-end up, in a soup bowl. Drizzle the sauce over mussels and garnish the bowl with the lemon wedges.

VOILA! – Serves 4