These plump tender mussels are of the hightest quality. The curry/ginger/garlic/cream broth is wonderful to slurp. Try a dry Riesling to complement the curry flavours and the mussels.

Fabulous mussels grow in PEI...and the best mussels dishes are cooked right in downtown Charlottetown, steps from the water. The name of the place is Flex Mussels and the chef partner in the stylish/casual eaterie is Garner Quain. He began his career steaming these tasty blue mussels Mytilus edulis with a mussel and fry shack back in 2005, in nearby Summerside.

Chef Quain serves 23 different steamed mussel dishes, priced from $16 to $20 per pound, depending on the ingredients that swim along with the bivalves. Flavours are as different as  you  taste in Thailand, India, Peking, Provence and Ireland and with ingredients from saffron to wild mushrooms to lobster to enhance the plump mussels. Other "not mussels" are available - seafood includes PEI oysters, Kim Dormaar's pepper smoked salmon, PEI oysters, fish and chips, halibut with hummus and the classic Maritime sandwich, lobster rolls. So nobody is left out, there are meat and poultry dishes, but in an eatery called Flex Mussels, go for the mussels. And there's always room for a round of hand-cut fries.

As a mussel aficionada, I had a delicious time with the Bombay Mussels - the restaurant's most popular steamed mussels. There was just enough curry, ginger and garlic-flavoured broth to scoop up with the empty shells, and soak up with slices of an excellent baguette.

This tropical combo of mango, ginger and coriander complement fresh sea-seasoned mussels.

Bombay Mussels

This makes a lovely supper for two - or appetizer course for four. The recipe has been slightly adapted. 

2 lb (1kg)  mussels

1 tsp (5 mL)  vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, finely chopped 

1 tsp (5 mL) finely chopped gingerroot

2 tbsp (30 mL) mango puree or finely diced mango

1 tbsp (15 mL)  mild curry paste, Patak recommended

1/4 cup (50 mL) white wine

1/2 cup (125 mL)  whipping cream (35%)

1/4 tsp (1 mL)  sesame oil

4 full sprigs of fresh washed coriander (cilantro),  roots removed and chopped

Half lime

1  crusty French baguette, sliced.

. Check mussels, discarding any that don't close when tapped.

A little gape is not unusual for cultivated mussels. Always keep them in the refrigerator until just before cooking.

Fresh live mussels close obediently - give them a minute or two just to be sure. Discard any that continue to gape.

. Pull out and snip off any beards and rinse; set aside. 

There's no mistaking the "beard" the common name for the byssus of a byvalve mussel. According to The Food Encyclopedia (Jacques L. Rolland and Carol Sherman, Robert Rose publisher) the byssus is "made up of a network of silky filaments it secretes and uses to adhere to rocks."

. In 4 to 6 quart (4 to 6 L) saucpean, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, mango and curry paste; fry for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently. The goal here is to warm the ingredients just enough to ‘awaken’ them. Exercise caution, as excessive heat makes the curry bitter.

The combination of fresh ginger, garlic and mango is aromatherapy of the most enchanting kind.

 . Stir in the wine, and using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pot smooth.  Add the cream, sesame oil and half of the coriander. Bring to a boil over high heat; add the mussels. Stir to coat evenly.

A wide saucepan with a heavy bottom is the best for cooking mussels. There's room for the mussels to open, and covered, the liquid comes back to the boil immediately, steaming the mussels quickly, without toughening them.

. Cover and  steam for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring gently midway, until the mussels have opened wide. Discard any that have not. 

Be sure to check mussels at the beginning of the suggested time.

. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a warmed serving dish. Reduce the sauce by a third or to desired consistency, about 2 minutes Meanwhile, squeeze the fresh lime over the mussels. Pour the reduced sauce over mussels and garnish with remaining chopped coriander. Serve immediately with plenty of crusty baguette.

© flex musssels, inc. 2008

Mussel Pointers:.

When choosing fresh mussels, first shop in a fishmonger's or grocery store with a high turnover. Look for tightly closed shells and a sweet ocean salt-water fragrance. If a slightly open mussel does not close in response to a light ‘tap’ or squeeze, discard it.

The clerk at the fish counter will often wrap your mussels in a plastic bag. Keep in mind that mussels need air. So, as soon as you get home, transfer the mussels onto a rack in a shallow bowl and refrigerate, uncovered in the lowest part of your fridge. Plan on eating fresh mussels the day you buy them. If you have to wait, cover the mussels with a light clean tea towel you've wet and wrung out. Mussels will last a day or two in your fridge.

Although today’s cultured mussels arrive at the market cleaned, you may find a few that still have their “beards”, the super-strong threads that mussels use to attach themselves to rocks in the wild, or to the long mesh socks in which they grow when cultivated. Pull the beard out and towards the pointed end of the shell. Cut off on the sharp edge of the shell, or snip off with scissors. Then rinse the mussels in cold water. Gone are the days when you had to scrub mussels - Canadian farmed mussels, whether from Iles de la Madeleine, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland or PEI are prescrubbed - a few minute to check and they're ready for the pot. 

The key to making great mussels is speed.  Have all of your ingredients ready before you cook the mussels. To prevent overcooking and toughening, work with  high heat and a short cooking time.

Don’t overload a pot with mussels. For this recipe and others that include 1 to 2 lb (500 g to 1 kg) mussels, use a 4 to 6 quart (4 to 6 L) saucepan with a heavy bottom and tight-fitting lid. If you're cooking in quantity, consider making several batches 

Flex Mussels is at 2 Lower Water Street (PO box 25008), Charlottetown PEI C1A 9N4. You can call 902-569-0200 or email at info@flexmussels.com. Check the website www.flexmussels.com where you can watch the musselcam - mussels do grow slowly so you'll need to check back often.

Vicki Emlaw delivers organic spinach to Harvest Restaurant in Picton, Prince Edward County, Ontario. Not just any spinach, but hand-picked, just minutes before Vicki Emlaw made the delivery.

You know you're in another place when you turn off County Road 13 in Prince Edward County, Ont. and and start down Morrison Point Road. Huge maples form a canopy over the road. There's a peace about the place that makes you feel like you've arrived.

And you have. Just ahead, the sign for Vicki's Veggies. The pretty one-room white frame building, in times past the local post office stands by the road, welcoming visitors to come in to check out what Vicki's got in her freezer and fridge, or dried and preserved on the shelves. Rather more than your regular roadside stand.

Outside, an array of whatever's in season - not much in early spring, but later, some of the 100 varieties of heirloom tomatoes she and her partner Tim Noxon grow from seed, or ground cherries, spinach, sorrel, asparagus, wild leeks or peppers. When Vicki's around, she'll help you make your choice and take your money. And when she's not, because the farm is the source of boxed vegetables that go out weekly to members of Community Supported (Shared) Agriculture (CSA), local restaurants like Harvest in Picton, and the passing public, Vicki and Tim are out in the fields - just drop your money into the cigar tin.

When I visited the farm 10 days ago, the trees were barely budding, and activity in the garden centred around snappy stalks of asparagus and lemony sorrel.From the bush, came wild leeks for the stand. But in the greenhouses, thousands of heirloom tomato seedlings were growing their second set of leaves.By the upcoming Victoria Day weekend, the tomato plants will be ready to graduate to the outdoors. May 16 and 17 and May 23 and 24 between 10 am and 5 pm, the sale of heirloom tomato seedlings takes place. There are over 100 varieties of tomatoes, and be warned, it's first come, first served. An assortment of other vegetables, herbs and tree seedlings complement the tomatoes.

If you miss the sale, and want to plant heirloom tomatoes next year, circle the upcoming Labour Day weekend when Vicki's Veggies has its annual tomato tasting. Then next year, you'll know which tomato you really loved - and be there in time.

But, back briefly to the spinach Vicki was personally carrying to chef Michael Potters at Harvest Restaurant. In all the excitement of local asparagus, red-tipped leaf lettuce and chives, something as basic as spinach can go unnoticed. But not here. A favourite recipe came to mind when I got home and found some pretty decent looking organic spinach. Not Vicki's - but not bad.

Wilted Spinach with Currants, Pine Nuts and Garlic Croutes

This robust combination of greens, pine nuts, garlic and currants is popular all around the Mediterrnean, and gives a new twist to something to nibble on with a glass of wine. Plan on a selection of olives, multicoloured cherry tomatoes and a chunk of feta to serve with. The super-crunchy croutes are one-bite, so choose a slim baguette, or cut baguette slices in half. There's another way to serve the spinach - as a side dish with roasted or grilled fish, chicken or pork. 

1/4 cup (50 mL) currants or 1/3 cup (75 mL) golden raisins

5 anchovy fillets

8 cups (2 L) packed spinach leaves, 10 oz/284 g

20 thin slices baguette

5 large cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup (75 mL) extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup (75 mL) pine nuts or slivered almonds

Half lemon

. In  small bowl, cover currants with boiling water; soak for 15 minutes. Drain and set side. Meanwhile, soak anchovies in cold water for 10 minutes; drain, pat dry and chop finely. Set aside.

. Wash spinach, trimming stems if necessary; shake off excess water. Place in large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until wilted, turning 2 or 3 times, about 4 minutes. Drain in a sieve and let cool; press out excess liquid. Chop coarsely; set aside.

. Spread pine nuts on small rimmed baking sheet; toast in 350°F. (180°C) oven until golden, about 3 to 5 minutes. (Watch the pine nuts carefully as they go from pale to too dark in a flash.) Set aside.

. Set garlic and oil mixture over medium heat; fry, stirring until garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Add anchovies; mash until fairly smooth and hot. Add spinach and currants; toss together and cook, tossing often,  until spinach is well coated and hot. Spoon into warmed small serving platter; squeeze lemon juice over the spinach. Sprinkle with pine nuts and surround with croutes. 

. Makes 6 servings.

Tip: To make up to 2 hours ahead, prep all the ingredients up to the point of adding the cooked spinach to the olive oil. Refrigerate the chopped anchoves and chopped cooked spinach. Cover remaining ingredients and leave at room temperature. 

Vicki's Veggies: www.vickisveggies.com

Harvest Restaurant: www.harvestrestaurant.ca

You won't just drop into Thomas Haas Chocolates. You have to find your way to North Vancouver, to be exact, unit 128, 998 Harbourside Drive to feast on the delights of this cafe, pastry and chocolate shop. This I did recently - along with a steady bustle of cafe customers picking up desserts and chocolate, or settling in at one of the tables for a latte and almond croissant.

The famous almond croissants are in the lower right corner. But everything in this showcase is delicious with a cappuccino or latte.

As the morning moved into lunchtime, the choice was freshly made sandwiches, quiche, pastries and espresso, some to enjoy on site, some to go. 

If you like, your sandwich can be toasted in the sandwich press.

"I like a busy place", recounted Haas,"people don't just come in to buy chocolates." That busyness created by the cafe/pastry and chocolate shop combo is something he learned from his father whose Konditori in the Black Forest Haas , the only son, was supposed to take over. As for some inner sanctum of chocolate "with brown squares", it's not his style, although anything created in the Haas production rooms behind the cafe is the equal of chocolate shops anywhere.

Busyness aside, you're enveloped in the aroma of chocolate as you enter, and excited by chocolate, its abundance, and its colour. It was the run-up to Easter when I visited Haas, and along with the Haas selection of hand  made chocolates, his own line of chocolate bars, baking chocolate and hot chocolate, the counter held a controlled riot of bunnies, eggs, ducks, race cars, nests.  Equally joyful were the colours, spring bright yellow, orange, green and even some reds.  Haas explained. "Christmas is more serious. People are buying chocolates for presents. But at Easter, you can have more fun. It's for the kids." 

There's no doubt about what season it is! These chocolate masterpieces created by Haas and his chocolatiers change with the seasons and holidays. The "Powered by Chocolate" shirt is a hint of another passion of Thomas Haas - cycling.

Behind the scenes, chocolate racing cars wait to be packaged.

To be a chocolatier, is to be an artist and love colour.

For chocolate, Haas sources premium Valrhona from France  and Felchlin, a celebrated niche manufacturer in Switzerland. Why these two? "I buy from them because  they buy mostly fair trade cocoa beans, no child labour involved. They conche (slowly churn the chocolate for smoothness and flavour enhancement) for a full 72 hours as opposed to other chocolate manufacturers whose the conching process lasts 3 hours. Quality depends on the best cocoa beans, then the length of conching time."

Bars come with playful comments such as "your recommended daily dose" and "sleek, slender, easy to hide from your friends".

For Haas, it's this quality that really counts. "I don't want to be big, I want to be good."

While the photo doesn't do justice to Thomas Haas, it captures his grin, and shows his generous spirit and playfulness. Between the production room where he is standing and the cafe on the other side is a pass-through cupboard. On its shelves Haas delights in putting chocolate treats. He swivels the shelves so the treats are accessible from the cafe. Kids love to find these little bonbons, theirs for opening the tiny doors on their side of the wall. Bet older kids do too.

Creamy Dark and White Chocolate Mousse

Several years ago Thomas Haas shared a recipe for a chocolate mousse martini for a Christmas issue of Canadian Living. It's hard to forget how delicious it was. To simplify for today, I've reduced the original three to two layers of chocolate, but haven't left out the flowing Grand Marnier sauce, a citrussy contrast in flavour and texture, Haas designed to float over the chocolate.

White Chocolate Layer:

8 oz (250 g) white chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup (50 mL) milk

2/3 cup (75 mL) whipping cream

Dark Chocolate Layer:

8 oz (250 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup (125 mL) milk

1-1/3 cups (325 mL) whipping cream

Grand Marnier Sauce:

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup (50 mL) granulated sugar

3/4 cup (175 mL) whipping cream

White Chocolate Layer: Place chocolate in heatproof bowl over saucepan of hot, not boiling water; heat, stirring occasionally, until half melted. Remove from heat; stir until completely melted.

Heat milk until just warm to the touch; pour over chocolate. Whisk briskly until smooth. Let cool completely; chill until thickened enough for  a wooden spoon to leave a trail in the bowl that fills in slowly.

Whip cream; fold half at a time into the chocolate mixture. Divide among 8 to 10 demitasse cups. Set on rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until set, about 40 minutes. 

Dark Chocolate Layer: Prepare following instructions for White Chocolate Layer. Spoon or pipe over White Chocolate Layer, smoothing top with back of small spoon if necessary. Refrigerate until set, about 1-1/2 hours. (Make-ahead: Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for up to 1 day.)

Grand Marnier Sauce: In heatproof bowl whisk together egg yolks and sugar; whisk in cream. In saucepan wide enough to hold bowl with enough rim to grip the bowl, bring about 2-inches (5 cm) water to a simmer. Place bowl over the water. Heat, stirring often, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of wooden spoon, about 6 minutes. Strain into clean bowl; stir in Grand Marnier. Cover surface directly with plastic wrap and chill. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 1 day.) Spoon over chocolate.

Makes 8 to 10 servings you can even stretch to 12 if you use little pot de creme pots or smaller ramekins. The idea of the dessert is to have a delectable taste of something fine. Replace the Grand Marnier Sauce with 1 cup (250 mL) whipped cream scented with Grand Marnier if you don't have time to make the sauce. Garnish if you wish with curled strips of orange peel.*

*To make the curls, cut 3-inch (8 mL) long strips of orange rind from orange. Trim each strip into 1/8-inch (4 mm) wide strips to make a strip for each serving. Wind firmly around handle of wooden spoon. Wrap with damp towel, then plastic wrap; refrigerate for up to 1 day. Unwrap and arrange a curl over each serving.

Work in a professional kitchen is pretty serious. After all chefs are dealing with sharp knives, hot stoves, demanding food safety issues, making a living, and what it's all about, creating delicious food for their customers. There's never enough time! But chefs do have a fun side, adding little playful touches to their dishes.

Last week was the final week for visiting international chefs to work with the graduating students of the Stratford Chefs School. I have to confess my attachment to the School. Stratford is my home town, and I'm on the board of the School I have seen grow in stature since its first class 25 years ago. The rigour that goes into SCS training makes graduates very employable in top restaurants across Canada. Some proof of their respect? Rheanna Kish and Alison Kent, valued members of the Canadian Living Test Kitchen are Stratford grads. 

Part of the graduating class curriculum is working with up-and-coming international chefs, often from France, Italy, England and the US. Together the chef and students prepare a series of dinners with all the trimmings - five courses, a wine maker or sommelier to explain the wine matches, a maitre d' who coaches the students in service, correct table setting with linen, glassware and china. Just like the real world of the fine dining business. Since there's no point cooking and serving an excellent meal to an empty seats, the invitation goes out to locals to come dine and offset the costs of the food and wine. Lucky people in Stratford and environs - they vie for the chance to be part of this Chefs School Dinner Club.

Chef Alexandre Gautier (rear centre) working top speed with his team assembling lobster and gnocchi

Happily there were no blizzard or drifting snow the late afternoon George and I drove up to Stratford to attend one of these dinners. The international chef for the week was Alexandre Gauthier from La Grenouillere located just outside Montreuil in Le Pas de Calais, northern France. Gauthier, just 29, has a boyish charm and the ease of someone who loves what he does. He connected right away with the students even though their French and his English were basic, though expressive. Over a quick glass of before-dinner champagne his face lit up as he described his enchantment with Stratford, the snow, the school and notably the students. He was thrilled to be chosen to represent France in Canada. Quite the opposite of the steriotyped French chef. The chef's champagne break was brief. He went back to the kitchen, adding that he had eggs to scramble.

Some scramble! Gauthier's playful interpretation of scrambled eggs was a cloud of egg mousse scented with truffle oil and served in a cup brought to each guest. And right behind the student delivering the cups was another student holding a flat of egg shell halves, each cupping a yolk that looked raw, but was in fact cooked sous-vide. The yolk was slid off the shell into the mousse and spread unctuously throughout. To eat it? Fingers of toasted baguette to dip, like English "soldiers" into the egg.  What a simple pleasure made exquisite and fun.The airy mousse, creamy yolk, and crunchy sourdough toasts. A light hearted start to the meal that went on to feature veal lobster and the very best gnocchi I've ever tasted, thin slices of lemon laquered magret of duck on a raft of crispy basil spring rolls, and for dessert, a perfect oval of fresh milk ice cream and a drizzle of chestnut honey. While there were five course, all were small and together they provided an array of flavours and textures, and plenty of talking points.  

But even after dessert, the dinner was not over. Student servers toured the tables with a large copper bowl of clean Stratford snow dotted with lemon caramels, a platter of homemade marshmallows and an array of slim sugar-dusted beignets (doughnuts), a traditional treat in France at Candlemas in early February.

A meal that was lighthearted to start, and equally fun to finish.  

. My husband thinks a cheese souffle requires a whole lot of expertise, and a little magic. I haven't told him how easy souffles are to make, and make them for special occasions.  How do you prepare eggs when you entertain?