Snails In A White Butter Sauce With Herbs Escargots Aux Fines Herbes Recipes

ESCARGOT VOL-AU-VENT. GARLIC BUTTER SNAILS IN MINI VOL-AU-VENTS

Steps:

• Mince the garlic and salt together and crush with the blade of a knife to make a paste. Put the butter in a large bowl (or the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), add the garlic paste, and cream together.
• Add the parsley, chives, shallots, pepper, lemon juice, and Pernod or Pastis and mix well. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula to make certain the ingredients are distributed throughout the butter.
• Refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 12 hours. (Any extra herb butter is wonderful melted over meats or fish.).
• Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). With a small 1/4 inch round biscuit/cookie cutter, cut 24 rounds from the puff pastry and then run a knife around inside the pastry disc leaving a narrow rim - this will be your lid later!. Arrange the puff pastry rounds on the baking sheet. Bake them for 15 to 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and well risen. Remove from the oven and let them cool slightly.Remove the inner pre-scored "lid" and hollow out the middle a little to make a hole for the snail and butter later!
• If using ready-made vol-au-vent cases, arrange them on a well greased baking tray and add the snails as below now.
• Place or gently push a snail in to each of the cooked vol-au-vent cases and top with garlic butter, the butter can be piped or spooned over the snails - if desired, transfer it to a pastry bag without a tip or with a large plain tip. Re-heat them in a pre-heated oven, 450°F (230°C), for about 2 to 5 minutes on a LOW shelf, and keep checking that the pastry is not browning too quickly - what you are looking for is BUBBLING melted butter and NOT burnt pastry!
• Remove them as soon as the butter has melted and serve straight away with a shot of Pastis and lots of paper napkins! (If you have any lids, top the buttered snails with a little pastry lid.).

SNAILS WITH FROG'S LEGS / ESCARGOTS AUX GRENOUILLES

Steps:

• Preparation 1 1/2 hours.
• Cooking 1 1/4 hours.
• Cook the snails in advance in a court bouillon, then remove them from their shells. Chop them, together with the peeled shallots and a small bunch of well-washed chives.
• Place these ingredients in a saucepan with the wine, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, soak the frogs' legs in the milk for 1 hour.
• Drain them, then roll in flour and saute in the butter in a frying pan over a brisk heat for 10 minutes.
• Add the snails, together with their cooking juices, and season with salt and pepper.
• Turn up the heat and cook for a further 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
• White wines: Macon-Clesse, -Lugny, -Vire or -Ige, Hermitage, Crepy.

SNAIL BUTTER / BEURRE D'ESCARGOTS

Steps:

• Beat 100 g/4 oz (1 stick) softened butter with 75 g/3 oz (1/2 cup) finely chopped shallot, 2 garlic cloves, ground to a paste, and 30 ml/2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley.
• Add 25 g/1 oz (1 1/2 scant tbsp) salt and 5 ml/1 tsp pepper.
• Form into a log and wrap in plastic wrap.
• Place in freezer or refridgerator till firm and sold.

SNAILS IN A WHITE BUTTER SAUCE WITH HERBS (ESCARGOTS AUX FINES HERBES)

Steps:

• Prepare the snails and set them aside.
• Remove the core from the lettuce. Wash the leaves well. Drain well. Stack the leaves and cut them into very thin shreds. There should be about eight cups loosely packed. Set aside.
• Heat two tablespoons of the butter in a skillet and add the lettuce. Cook, stirring, until wilted.
• Combine the shallots, wine and vinegar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil. Cook over high heat until most of the liquid is evaporated.
• Cut the remaining four tablespoons of butter into cubes.
• Stir the shallots with a wire whisk and cook over low heat while adding the butter, two or three cubes at a time. Continue stirring vigorously until all the butter is added. Add the anchovy paste, tarragon, chives and basil.
• Heat the tomato about five seconds in a hot skillet, stirring. Add it to the butter sauce.
• Reheat the lettuce. Spoon an equal portion on top of each toast rectangle. Arrange three snails neatly on the lettuce. Spoon the sauce over each serving and serve.