R E C I P E S

Potage Billy By (Cream of Mussel Soup)

By Edward Behr

According to the 1962 cookbook Chez Maxim’s: Secrets and Recipes from the World’s Most Famous Restaurant, presented by the Countess of Toulouse-Lautrec, the variously spelled soup Billy By originated at the restaurant Ciro’s in Deauville in 1925. William Brand (Billy B.) wanted to spare his well-off American friends from having to eat mussels from the shell in the French way, using the fingers and an empty shell as tongs, and so he had the restaurant serve just the broth, no meats at all, in the form of a cream soup. Louis Barthe, who was cooking at Ciro’s at the time, told that story, and he brought the soup to Paris when he became chef at Maxim’s. The cookbook’s version, typically for its time, calls for fish stock. But mussels should taste of mussels, not fish — they have plenty of flavor by themselves. James and I skip the fish stock, using just the broth from a well-flavored marinière, and add the mussel meats. The soup can be served either hot or cold. Closely related and more common on French menus is soupe aux moules, which is often flavored with saffron or curry, and either of those or bulb fennel could be added to Billy By at the same time as the celery below. For information on buying mussels, including freshness, see moules à la marinière.

 

1 large onion or 2 shallots, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

3 or 4 branches fresh parsley

1/3 bay leaf

¼ teaspoon dried thyme, or 3 or 4 branches fresh

1 ½ cups (350 ml) white wine

2 pounds (1 kg) very fresh mussels, cleaned

2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream

black pepper

a lemon, for juice

 

Choose a heavy pot wide enough that the mussels will form a single layer, or cook them in two pots or in batches. Cook the onion, celery, parsley, bay, and thyme gently in the wine for a few minutes, until the onion and celery are soft. Raise the heat to high, add the mussels, and cover tightly. The mussels will open in 2 to 8 minutes, depending on their size, the intensity of heat, and the quantity in relation to the width of the pot. After about 2 minutes, stir to redistribute the mussels. When half have opened, to avoid overcooking, start removing the open ones with tongs or a slotted spoon. Discard any that remain shut after 8 minutes.

Remove the cooked mussels from their shells, and strain the broth through a cloth-lined strainer — if there’s no grit in the broth, a fine-mesh metal strainer without a cloth will do. Bring the broth to a boil, add the cream, and bring again to a boil, stirring. Grind in pepper and add lemon juice to taste, perhaps 2 teaspoons. Add the mussels to the boiling liquid and allow them just long enough to heat through, no more than half a minute. Serve promptly in hot bowls or, in warm weather, chill the soup and serve it in chilled bowls. Serves 4.


From The Art of Eating Cookbook

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