Decanters come in many shapes and sizes.

This recipe is based on the most common way to enjoy mussels, a la mariniere, steamed with shallots and white wine.It saves time by using store-bought French fries that cook in the oven; you can cook the mussels in the time it takes for the fries to cook.

If you feel like making your own French fries, try this.pommes frites recipe.There are plenty of ways to play around with this recipe to personalize it.

You can swap out the wine for beer, cider, or even Pernod.Try adding a splash of cream to the broth or a pinch of your favorite spice blend to the shallots as they cook (it’s not uncommon to find this dish with a hint of curry seasoning).

And you can swap in different aromatics like celery, carrots, or leeks.

The fries help you sop up all that wonderful broth; add a hunk of crusty bread as well if you like.In a small bowl, mix the buttermilk with 1/3 cup of hot water..

In a large bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.Add the brown sugar and mix very well.

Add the 6 tablespoons of butter and the oil and beat until the mixture resembles coarse meal.While beating constantly, slowly drizzle in the egg mixture until incorporated, then beat in the buttermilk mixture, scraping down the side and bottom of the bowl as necessary.. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake for about 20 minutes, until the cakes feel bouncy and a tester inserted in the centers comes out clean.