# Escargot



## luvs (Apr 18, 2006)

i had escargot in puff pastry. delicious! any recipes? thanks!


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## buckytom (Apr 18, 2006)

luvs, was it served in an escargot plate? ya know, a dish with 6 little pockets in it?
i love snails in a pool of garlic butter in one of those plates, each pocket topped with puff pastry.

how was yours served? 

also, if you get the chance, try snails in black bean sauce. you peel off the foot pad, and suck them out of the shells which are bathed in a delicious chinese sauce.


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## masteraznchefjr (Apr 18, 2006)

if u want to get the best quality escargots (snails pour le non francais speakers) make sure they are from taiwan. I read in this french cookbook that the best quality escargots are from taiwan.


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## BreezyCooking (Apr 19, 2006)

I have had & have made escargot several ways - all wonderful.

One fancy French restaurant served each snail in individual ceramic cups filled with melted garlic butter.

My favorite way, however, is to buy the very largest white mushrooms I can find & stuff my snails & garlic butter into them.  I do blanch the mushrooms first in boiling water for a few minutes before draining & stuffing them.  I really dislike raw mushrooms stuffed with anything.

I will also say that many of my cookbooks have recipes using snails in ways much different than the usual appetizer venues.  Casseroles, pastas, etc.  I haven't tried any of them yet, so can't recommend anything.


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## auntdot (Apr 19, 2006)

I can eat almost anything.

Love raw oysters and clams.

Carpaccio is great. And have eaten many forms of raw meat.

But used to live in San Diego and would walk home, oh, 2 AM or so from work, across the lawn (no other place to park).

And each step would crunch two to three escargots.

Would see them on the doorstep in the AM.

Just cannot eat those guys.

A mental thing, sure, but cannot do it.


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## Constance (Apr 19, 2006)

Aunt Dot, I've had greenhouses for years, and I've seen more snails and slugs than you can imagine.  
In spite of that, I do love escargo. I had it once at a very fancy french restaurant in Chicago, and again at the New Orleans House in Louisville. Both times it was served in the shell the garlic/butter sauce. I found them delicious...
but perhaps it was the setting.


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## jpmcgrew (Apr 19, 2006)

Not crazy for snails but I found a recipe many years ago called Escargot Provencal .
Saute fresh diced tomatoes ,sliced scallions,a good bit of minced fresh garlic,salt & pepper
Cook above in olive oil until just soft and hot
add snails cook till heated thru
Serve with hot crusty french bread you put it on the bread and maybe a nice salad. 
I once made this in Texas for a family and told them they were mushrooms they loved it I did tell them what it was after they were done.They got so Punked.And they didn't fire me.


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## GB (Apr 19, 2006)

I have never tried them. I had the opportunity once a long time ago, but chickened out. The next chance I get though I will try them. I have a feeling I would love them.


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## kadesma (Apr 19, 2006)

I've always been the brave soul in our family and discovered escargot many years ago and still love them. I remember going to the Palm Springs Hotel with a group including my two b-i-l and s-i-l on evening. We were all gussied up, the woman had their minks and fancy dresses..Anyway my s-i-l never shut her mouth so she didn't hear me order escargot as an appy, as I was about to eat #4, she took a needed breath, looked up and saw my plate, reached over and speared  one I'd removed from it's shell, popped it in her mouth and started to chew. Both my b-i-l had ear to ear grins, she sees this, stops chewing and say's what is this..They both replied, SNAILS!!!! Well by the time she got threw eeeking,ewwwing,screeching every blue haird lady in the place were glaring at her over drink glasses, I thought they were going to toss us out on out ears!!! Now anytime I have escargot, I have to smile remembering our night on the town 

kadesma


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## jpmcgrew (Apr 19, 2006)

Good one Kades.


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## kadesma (Apr 19, 2006)

jpmcgrew said:
			
		

> Good one Kades.


Thanks JP, 
at the time I was young and so embarassed I wanted to crawl under the table. Now, It makes me laugh just remembering it.

kadesma


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## jpmcgrew (Apr 19, 2006)

Aw heck it wasn't your fault.Was she quieter the rest of the night? Or was that all she could talk about.


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## kadesma (Apr 19, 2006)

jpmcgrew said:
			
		

> Aw heck it wasn't your fault.Was she quieter the rest of the night? Or was that all she could talk about.


Oh she wasn't quiet, both her DH and b-i-l were given the how could you, which made them laugh even louder, then the got the dirty looks then tears..by then, we were all LOL like loons  To this day we can't look at a garden variety snail when together without then looking at each other and howling... 

kadesma


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## auntdot (Apr 19, 2006)

Thanks Constance.  I will confess I have had a growing urge to try those little suckers again.

Usually, though, there is another item on the appetizer menu that I really like, that choice gets me off the hook.

One of these days perhaps, maybe, when, OK, if we had a cocktail before ordering.

Have always found that if most people like stuff I probably do too.

That excludes boiled eggs and fennel. Blechh, a thousand times blechh.

But OK, maybe, but I usually like the other stuff on the menu and really don't want to take a chance and try the snails.

Sometimes liking something is getting it past you mind.

Anyway, God bless.


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## luvs (Apr 20, 2006)

buckytom said:
			
		

> luvs, was it served in an escargot plate? ya know, a dish with 6 little pockets in it?
> i love snails in a pool of garlic butter in one of those plates, each pocket topped with puff pastry.
> 
> how was yours served?
> ...


thanks, bucky. they were just in this smalll puff pasty shell with snails around it & in that pastry shell itself in a delicious cream sauce. awww, were they delicious. 
to others who responded, i thank you & will respond soon!


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## jpmcgrew (Apr 20, 2006)

I woke up in the middle of the night last night I forgot another ingredient for the ecargot provencal,a little  white wine.DUH


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## kadesma (Apr 20, 2006)

jpmcgrew said:
			
		

> I woke up in the middle of the night last night I forgot another ingredient for the ecargot provencal,a little white wine.DUH


Don't you just love it when that happens?  With me I wake up alright, then spend a good hour trying to remember what the heck I woke up for   

kadesma


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## ironchef (Apr 20, 2006)

If making escargot at home, here's a cool trick that you can do which looks great presentation wise. Fun for impressing guests.

Take about 1 cup of softened unsalted butter, then puree it together with minced garlic, thyme, chives, and chervil. Refrigerate the butter to let it harden until you need it. When the butter melts while the escagot are cooking, it will end up as this irridescent green color which looks pretty **** cool.


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## luvs (Apr 23, 2006)

sounds delicious, ironchef.
i had another order of them yesterday. a couple glasses of free alcohol, too!


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## Billdolfski (Jul 8, 2008)

I made them today.  Put the poached snails (canned) in the escargot dish (with the six receptacles) completely covered in a compound butter (whole butter, shallots, garlic, S&P) and topped with panko.

The poaching liquid was white wine, chicken stock, shallots and garlic (the recipe called for mostly Chablis and a bit of a wine I don't remember... the white wine that was on hand was used in their stead).

Poached snail, compound butter, panko and baked off.  I had a napkin ready in case it grossed me out, but it wasn't offensive at all.


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## stinemates (Jul 8, 2008)

To me, they taste no different than Sauteed Mushrooms. So, I'd rather just eat those


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## Fisher's Mom (Jul 8, 2008)

ironchef said:


> If making escargot at home, here's a cool trick that you can do which looks great presentation wise. Fun for impressing guests.
> 
> Take about 1 cup of softened unsalted butter, then puree it together with minced garlic, thyme, chives, and chervil. Refrigerate the butter to let it harden until you need it. When the butter melts while the escagot are cooking, it will end up as this irridescent green color which looks pretty **** cool.


Would this work with something besides snails? Or is it something in the snails that makes it change color.


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## luvs (Jul 8, 2008)

wow, now i'm craving escargot.


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## ChefJune (Jul 8, 2008)

Fisher's Mom said:


> Would this work with something besides snails? Or is it something in the snails that makes it change color.


 
The green color of the butter comes from the herbs, not the snails.

Oh, I _love_ escargots!  and they don't taste like mushrooms to me.


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## babetoo (Jul 8, 2008)

my daughter, miss picky eater, loves them. me not so much. never had them and am sure i won't either. 

can't get past the slimy trail they leave on the sidewalk at night. don't hardly ever refuse to take a chance and try something. this is the one, though

babe


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## ChefJune (Jul 9, 2008)

Babe, I just can't resist telling you that some of the best snails I have ever enjoyed were the ones we captured in a lot near the house when I was living in El Cajon!  We put them in a box and fed them cornmeal for a week, so they could cleanse themselves of all that "yutz."  Then we prepared them with the parsley/garlic butter and put them back into their shells.  What a magnificent feast!  and a fun experiment.


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## babetoo (Jul 9, 2008)

yuck, you really enjoyed that didn't you. lol

babe


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## DramaQueen (Jul 9, 2008)

babetoo said:


> my daughter, miss picky eater, loves them. me not so much. never had them and am sure i won't either.
> 
> can't get past the slimy trail they leave on the sidewalk at night. don't hardly ever refuse to take a chance and try something. this is the one, though
> 
> babe


*I lived in San Diego for several years before moving to Las Vegas.  We were bombarded with snails - they were EVERYWHERE!!  I never made escargot from the snails that crawled around on the sidewalk.  Made me sick to see those little buggers and the slimy trail they left behind.   My husband and I lived on them in restaurants and at home using canned snails.   I don't know why but seeing them on the ground is a real turn-off.*
** 
*Lots of garlic and chopped fresh Italian parsley sauteed in butter.  Stuff the shells or an escargot plate with the snails, pour the sauce over them, under the broiler for about 3 or 4 minutes, then pop them in your mouth.  Sop up the delicious sauce with crusty french bread - sheer heaven!!!  I had them twice this week in restaurants and can't get enough!*


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## ChefJune (Jul 10, 2008)

DramaQueen said:


> *I lived in San Diego for several years before moving to Las Vegas.  We were bombarded with snails - they were EVERYWHERE!!  I never made escargot from the snails that crawled around on the sidewalk.  Made me sick to see those little buggers and the slimy trail they left behind.   My husband and I lived on them in restaurants and at home using canned snails.   I don't know why but seeing them on the ground is a real turn-off.*
> **


I know, but we decided to make lemonade out of the lemons, as it were.  All depends upon your point of view.  And yes, they WERE delicious.


> *Lots of garlic and chopped fresh Italian parsley sauteed in butter.  Stuff the shells or an escargot plate with the snails, pour the sauce over them, under the broiler for about 3 or 4 minutes, then pop them in your mouth.  Sop up the delicious sauce with crusty french bread - sheer heaven!!!  I had them twice this week in restaurants and can't get enough!*



The snails and the parsley/garlic butter also are a great sauce for linguine!


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## buckytom (May 8, 2013)

lurker surfing a tasty old thread.

i wonder what happened to june?

i could go for some snails.

my family and i occasionally go to an italian place that has a great 4 course, early bird special ($13/person, cash only, finger to nose) that i think has half to do with the appy course.

it's the only place around that offers escargot fra diavolo, and every time we've been there it's been fantastic.

the rest of the courses certainly don't suck, but when you've got a jonesin' for snails...


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## vitauta (May 8, 2013)

soon after joining dc, chef june introduced me to food52. (ty, june)

here's my favorite food photog introducing himself, "I eat with my camera and take pictures of food, mostly in paris, Tokyo, Stockholm, mexico, and n.y.,n.y."


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## Addie (May 8, 2013)

I worked for a restaurant and the owner's BIL used to go to the farmers market every day to pick up what was needed for the day. Every so often he would bring back some unusual food for himself and the owner. That would included a bagful of snails. They even kept a pile of safety pins that had been boiled. One day a customer came in and asked what they were eating. He wanted to know if they were on the menu. From that day on they were. Every Saturday along with tripe they were a regular and big selling item. No I never tried them.


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