Mussels with Blue Cheese and White Wine

Wait what?! Mussels and… blue cheese?!

So those who know me well would understandably, be a little perplexed and confused by the fact that I have a blue cheese recipe on the blog. And that I actually cooked with it and survived the stinky fumes. Because they’d all know that I’ve always been repulsed by the likes of gorgonzola, stilton and blue vein. In fact if I wanted to scare you all (and embarrass myself), I would totally upload a video of me eating it. According to my friends, it’s the most hilarious thing in the world.

It wasn’t until I tried the Australian Shadows of Blue from Gippsland a few months ago that I had a mini breakthrough. It was glorious; rich, creamy, salty and went perfectly with dessert wine. The unmistakable taste of blue cheese was there but it was ever so mild and thankfully, free from the smelly-jock-strap characteristics. It’s an absolute favourite of mine now and as a bonus, I don’t think of my stinky-cheese-loving friends as insane anymore. But don’t cheer for me yet, I’m still not ready for the big boys.

Umm jockstraps; bet I got you all salivating by now. No but seriously, don’t run away from me just yet because these mussels with blue cheese and white wine are a winner. It’s the first dish that I’ve ever cooked with you know, blue mouldy food and while initially, the smell emanating from the wok was a bit, um fresh, the end result was deeply satisfying. Even more so with crusty bread, a glass of white and trashy tv.

Mussels with Blue Cheese and White Wine

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Tbl / 15ml olive oil

1 Tbl / 15g unsalted butter

1 small leek, halved lengthways and sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

180ml dry white wine

120g creamy blue cheese, rind removed

180ml cream

1.5 kg mussels, washed, scrubbed, beards removed and left to strain in a colander

Handful of chives or parsley, chopped

Method

Heat up the oil and butter in a wok or large pan over medium heat. Sauté leek and garlic for about 5 minutes or until vegetables have softened.

Deglaze with the wine, cook for a minute then add the blue cheese and stir until completely melted. Stir through the cream, bring to a boil then toss the mussels through. Stick on the lid and cook for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally until the mussels have opened up.

Remove mussels with a slotted spoon into serving bowls (discard any unopened mussels). Cook sauce until reduced by a third and check for seasonings (though it should be salty enough from the cheese and brine). Spoon sauce over mussels, garnish with herbs and serve hot with crusty bread.

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PS: blue cheese still not your cup of tea? Then you simply have to try this one.