Instructions: Seafood Alternatives: clams

Wash the potatoes and cut them in half if they are larger than a walnut. Fill a large pot with cool salted water and add the potatoes and vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a low boil and continue to cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and keep the potatoes warm.

Put the mussels, wine and rosemary in a large pan and cover tightly. Set the pan over high heat and steam just until the mussels open, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the mussels to a large bowl and cover to keep warm; discard any mussels that do not open.

Pour the mussel nectar from the pan through a fine sieve; discard the rosemary sprigs. Also strain any mussel nectar that has collected in the bottom of the bowl. Measure 1 1/2 cups of nectar, adding white wine if there is not enough nectar.

Combine the egg yolks, roasted garlic paste, salt and pepper in a medium stainless steel bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the measured mussel nectar with the lemon juice. Set the bowl on top of a saucepan of boiling water (the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl). Whisk vigorously until the sabayon is frothy and thickened and there is no trace of liquid at the bottom of the bowl, about 3 to 5 minutes. (It should register 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.)

Put the potatoes in the middle of four large, shallow soup plates. Arrange the mussels, hinge-down, in a circle around the potatoes. Spoon the sabayon over the mussels and potatoes. Sprinkle with rosemary blossoms, if available, and serve immediately.

CHEFS NOTE: To make garlic paste, bake whole heads of garlic (wrapped in foil) at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cool slightly, then separate the cloves, squeeze out the tender garlic and mash it with a fork in a small bowl. One large head of garlic will roughly yield the 1 1/2 tablespoons needed in this recipe.

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Comments: This is a good year-round recipe, thanks to mussel farms that provide us with fresh mussels throughout the year. And the starring herb, rosemary, is a hardy perennial that is also consistently available. In place of the rosemary blossoms, which appear in early spring, you can garnish this dish with other edible flowers or simply garnish with sprigs of rosemary.

A fresh garden salad and crusty bread are ideal partners to this rich-tasting supper dish. You can also serve this as an appetizer, omitting the red potatoes.

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