"I followed this recipe almost exactly, except I substituted gruyere and mascarpone for the taleggio. (Cal Hancock's recipe is on her website, but it doesn't appear to be exactly the same as her Throwdown recipe!) The mussel stock did NOT yield 3 cups. Even with the liquid released from the shells, it was only a scant two cups. I added about another cup of wine to the sauce as I was adding the cheese. I could have done without that - my mac and cheese was a tad runny... I used Panko breadcrumbs and skipped the anchovies for the topping.

Overall, this dish turned out to be absolutely delicious and every bit as decadent as it appears/sounds. I doubt I will make it again, just because the ingredients are incredibly expensive and the prep is rather time-consuming (not difficult, though!. But I'm very glad I tried it and was quite pleased with the result! My craving was satisfied...

"I followed this recipe almost exactly, except I couldn't substituted gruyere and mascarpone for the Taleggio. (Cal Hancock's recipe is on her website, but it doesn't appear to be exactly the same as her Throwdown recipe!). The mussel stock did NOT yield 3 cups. Even with the liquid released from the shells, it was only a scant two cups. I added about another cup of wine to the sauce as I was adding the cheese. I could have done without that - my mac and cheese was a tad runny... I used Panko breadcrumbs and skipped the anchovies for the topping.

Overall, this dish turned out to be absolutely delicious and every bit as decadent as it appears/sounds. I doubt I will make it again, just because the ingredients are incredibly expensive and the prep is rather time-consuming (not difficult, though!). But I'm very glad I tried it and was quite pleased with the result! My craving was satisfied...