Favourite Escargot Recipes

Escargot have always been a favourite.

And I have a number of ways that I like to serve them.

Haven't been able to find them fresh so I use canned.

Some brands are better than others.

But I can recommend M'Lord Escargot

I've used this brand for a while and they are always tender.

For dinner last night we had them the more traditional way.

Served in little casserole dishes with lots of home-made baguette.

They can also be served

 in dishes especially made for escargot.

or served in mushroom caps instead of shells.

Escargot
========
1 can of quality Escargot
1/2 cup butter (soft)
1 small shallot , finely minced
3 or more  cloves of garlic
handful of parsley
salt
pepper
splash of white wine.

Optional:  Whole Mushroom Caps, partially cooked.

Pulse butter, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper together in mini
processor.
Place escargot in casserole dish, top with finely minced shallot.
A splash of white wine. And top with butter mixture.

Bake in a  400°F to 450°F for about15 minutes.

Serve with lot of crusty bread to sop up butter.

Option:

Place escargot in cooked mushroom caps, top with garlic butter and
bake.

~~~ * ~~~

This next recipe is probably my favourite Escargot recipe.

I've had this recipe for years.

Can be served as a first course in tart size toast shells

or in mini toast cups.

Or in mini puff pastry tarts.  

Or

You can use the same filling 

and top individual casseroles with Puff pastry

Rich and Creamy.

Makes a nice dinner served this way.

Escargot In Mini Toast Cups
===========================
Source:  Elegant Entertaining Cookbook - M. Sable

1 loaf of white bread
1/4 cup melted butter
1 can escargot (36 to 50 size)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 shallots
2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 bay leaf
1 cup whipping cream
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

.
Preheat oven to 400°
Cut crusts off bread and roll out very thin. cut 2 inch rounds and
fit each round gently into a well buttered 1 1/4 muffin tin.
Brush tops of rounds with melted butter and bake them for 10
minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from tins and
cool.
In a medium sauce pan combine wine, chicken stock and shallots,
thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce liquid to 1/3 cup.
Stir in cream, garlic, salt and pepper. Reduce liquid to 1/2 cup.
Add escargot.
Remove bayleaf and stir in butter.
Fill each croustade with 1 or 2 escargot and some of the sauce.
Sprinkle with minced parsley.

 Options:  Use puff pastry instead of toast cups

~~~ *~~~

Another favourite is
 Escargot Stilton.

For a first course - something a little more formal. 

Escargot Stilton
================
Recipe of the Week
We have a new participant in our Guest Chef series this week -
Todd White of Cafe Normandie. Todd is the Chef de Cuisine (in
other words the number 2 guy) at Cafe Normandie. That's right -
the same fabulous Frenchtown eatery that is the showcase for all
the good things that Georges Johnson (another guest chef)
prepares. You know these young upstarts - they want to show
everyone that they're just as good as the boss - and I guess this
recipe proves it. Todd says that he's been told by diners that
this particular dish is "better than sex." I'll leave that
decision up to you.

1 dozen large snails
3 oz Stilton cheese, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup white wine
3/4 cup heavy cream
pinch of diced shallots salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg frozen puff pastry (I wouldn't dream of telling you to make
your own - this is perfectly good)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Defrost puff pastry according to
package directions.

Place 2 large snails in 2" x 2" puff pastry squares. Fold corners
in and enclose. Place on greased baking sheet and bake in the oven
until golden brown, approximately 13-15 minutes.

In a saucepan, place the white wine and shallots. Cook over medium
high heat until reduced by half. Add the cream and again reduce by
half. Remove from heat and add stilton, stirring until well
combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, divide the sauce onto 2 plates and place 3 escargot
packets on each.

Just the appetizer to serve on a romantic occasion when the dining
is a deux!