MOULES

Parisians cook at home. Especially when it comes to seafood, I got the impression that restaurants are considered inferior. It might be hard to recreate this dish without small french mussels from Brittany but it's worth a shot.

Baptiste's Moules

Scrub the mussels very, very clean using cold water. Combine in a large pot over medium high heat -- butter, chopped garlic, sliced shallots, bay leaves, and a bouquet of parsley stems and thyme. Wait a minute or so. Add the mussels. Add one bottle of white wine. Cook until the shells are almost all open. At the end stir in the parsley leaves. Voila!

Instead of frites, Baptiste and Agathe served the moules with potatoes roasted with olive oil and thyme.

Best eaten with your hands.