Tarte aux Moules

Tarte aux Moules

I cam across this recipe in one of Rick Steins cook books, and on checking for recipes on the web found plenty of other versions of this Tarte, both French and English.
This Tarte sounded very interesting and so with direction from my better half we made a Tarte aux Moules which was a success.
This is Rick Stein’s version of Tarte aux Moules made with local mussels, cream
Butter encased in crisp brown buttery pastry.

900gms (2lbs) mussels cleaned
50ml(2 fl oz) dry white wine
3 tablespoons of chopped parsley
keep the stalks
25 gms (1oz) butter
5-6 shallots finely chopped
5 garlic cloves
3 eggs beaten
300ml (10fl oz) double cream
salt and pepper

For the pastry
225gms(8oz ) plain flour
1/2 oz salt
65gms (2,1/2oz) chilled butter cut into pieces
65gms (2.1/2oz) chilled lard cut into pieces
1. 1/2 tablespoons of water
1 egg white

Preheat the oven to 200 C/400F
For the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a food processor or a mixing bowl, add the chilled butter and lard and work together until the mixture looks like
Fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the water with a table knife until it comes together into a ball.
Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly until smooth. Roll out and use to line a 25 cm (10 inch) loose bottom flan tin, 4cms (1.1/2) deep. Prick the base here and there with a fork and chill for 20 minutes.
Line the pastry case with a sheet of crumpled greaseproof paper, fill with baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return the pastry to the oven for 5 minutes.
Remove once more and brush the base with the unbeaten egg white. Return to the oven for 1 minute, and then remove.
Put the mussels into a large pan with the wine and parsley stalks. Cover and cook over a high heat
For 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then until the mussels have opened.
Tip them into a colander set over a bowl to catch the cooking liquor. Leave to cool and then remove the mussels from the shells discarding any that do not open.
Melt the butter in a pan, add the shallots and garlic and cook gently for about 7 minutes until
Very soft. Add all but the last tablespoon of mussel cooking liquor ands simmer rapidly until it has evaporated. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and leave to cool. Then stir in the beaten egg, cream, parsley and season to taste with a little pepper and salt if needed.
Scatter the mussels over the pastry base and pour in the egg mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 190C/375F until just set and lightly browned. Leave to cool slightly before serving.
This is Rick Steins recipe and it is a very tasty Tarte
In one of the French versions of this tarte they had added a little curry paste , other English versions have potatoe in the filling with the mussels