Salade Francillon

Preparation time: 40 minutes - serves 6 

Ingredients: 1 kg bintjes, 3 l. mussels, 1 l. stock, olive oil, white wine (Château d’Yquem or Sauternes), wine vinegar, garden herbs, celery, truffles cooked in champagne, salt, pepper.

Peel and wash the potatoes and cook them in the stock. Drain and cut in round segments. While hot, season with a white wine French dressing. Open the mussels, take them out of their shells and mix with the potatoes. Sprinkle this with finely chopped garden herbs. Top with thinly sliced truffles. Allow the salad to cool (without putting it in the refrigera­tor) and serve this simple but costly entrée de fête. 

* Alexandre Dumas (1802‑18 70) was not only the creator of the Three Musketeers but also of the "Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine".