MUSSELS VINAIGRETTE WITH ENDIVES

Steps:

• Discard any mussel shells that do not open. Open the remaining, extract the mussels and put them in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Trim the root ends of both endives and separate them into leaves. Rinse in a pan of cool water and place dripping in one layer on a soft kitchen towel. Roll up like a jelly roll, place in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator. These first 2 steps can be done the day before or early in the morning. For the vinaigrette, put the mustard in the bowl of a food processor with the onion, shallots, and parsley. Cut the hard-cooked egg into chunks and add to the processor. Pulse/chop until mixture is almost a paste, then with motor running pour the olive oil in a thin steady stream through the feed tube until mixture emulsifies and thickens. Pour the sauce over mussels and toss to coat evenly. Arrange the endive leaves in a sunburst pattern on a large round platter with pointed ends facing outward, on a large round platter. Place a sauced mussel on the wide part of each leaf. To eat, pick up each leaf by the pointed end and eat the sauced mussel with the wide end of the leaf. * The mussels may be steamed as a courtesy at the seafood department in much the same way shrimp is steamed. Just make sure they are not steamed more than 4 minutes, or until shells open. Cool before using.