Moules frites...

My love for this dish was born on an excursion to a small town on the northern cost of Normandy during an exchange trip in high school. We had hiked around the beach and sauntered through a little town building up quite the appetite. Finally, we walked into the smallest, most rustic restaurant and sat down to a meal of moules frites, bière et cidre, and île flottante.  To this day... best meal ever... except for maybe Valentine's Day dinner 2012 now!

Being the awesome bf that he is, the Boy saw that I had recently pinned an image of moules frites saying that it was my favorite meal ever and so he decided to recreate it for Valentine's Day dinner.  Well he went above and beyond putting his own twist on the dish that seriously stepped it up a few levels.

Read more after the jump for ingredients and recipe...

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs mussels**
• 1 large onion, jullienned
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium shallots, minced
• 6 oz white dry wine
• handful of mushrooms, I think he used cremini or shitake, wiped clean and diced
• bacon, 6-7 strips diced
• butter
• thyme
• cream
• salt and pepper

**Note when buying mussels, buy ones that are tightly close.  Any mussels that are cracked or open, discard or else they could be bad.  Also, store in mesh bag or colander with ice to avoid suffocating mussels. 

1. Wash mussels and prep ingredients.
2. Saute the bacon in a large skillet until browned and crispy.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate with paper towel to degrease.
3. Skim off about half of the bacon fat from skillet and discard.  Saute onions in skillet over medium-low heat for approximately 5 minutes.
4. Add shallots, garlic, and mushrooms to skillet and continue to saute for several 3-5 more minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper and add the wine.  Bring to a boil and then immediately reduce to a simmer.
6. Add the mussels and thyme.  Cook for 7-8 minutes covered or until all mussels have opened.  Discard any mussels that have not opened.  
7. Add some cream (2-ish tablespoons) and the bacon. 

I've left out the recipe for the frites portion of this meal as they are very easy to make and wanted to keep it short, but if you really want the recipe, please don't hesitate to ask.  We paired the moules frites with a winter citrus and beet salad and some bubbly. Overall now topping my best meal charts so bravo to the Boy!
What is your favorite meal memory?