Escargot is French for “snail”. There are many recipes for escargot, but they generally follow the same outline:
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Purge and clean the snails
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Cook them in boiling water
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Remove the snail flesh from the shell
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Make a butter, garlic and herb mixture
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Place some of the mixture in the bottom of the empty snail shell, then add the snail flesh, then fill the remaining space with the mixture
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Place the stuffed snails on a baking tray and then cook them in the oven. They only need about 10-15 minutes in the over at medium heat; when the butter starts to bubble they are ready.
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Serve the snails. Escargot is eaten with a small thin fork, which is used to extract the flesh from the shell. Special tongs are available to hold the shell while this is done; while useful they are not absolutely necessary.
In practice, almost everyone buys escargot partially or completely prepared. Just as the vast majority of people (in western countries) buy chickens which are already plucked and gutted, most people cooking escargot would buy then after the first 3 steps have already been completed, and often the first 5 steps (in which case one only needs bake them in the oven).
For more information on Escargot, click on Escargot Overview and History
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