Mussels With Cream

Preparation:

Preparation: Carefully scrape and wash the mussels under running water, put them in a large pan and let them open over moderate heat with the container covered. Eliminate the mussels that have not opened and shell the others, except 4, chosen from among the largest, which will be used for the final garnish. Put 1 liter of water, the wine, the whole onion, the carrot, the thyme, the rosemary, the garlic and the necessary salt in a saucepan, bring to the boil and cook over moderate heat for 45 minutes. After this time, drain the vegetables, pass them through a sieve and put the puree back into the saucepan with the court-bouillon, mix in the starch a little at a time and cook for 7-8 minutes. When the mixture has reached the desired density, add the cream and the mussels with their cooking water, filtered. Cook over very low heat for 3-4 minutes, then transfer everything into a tureen in which you have already put the slices of toasted bread, garnish with the four mussels kept aside and sprinkle them with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.