A dish of land snails, escargot is usually prepared as an appetizer.
A French dish of cooked land snails, escargot is usually served as an appetizer. However, when paired with pasta or vegetables, cooked escargot also works well as an entr e. Not all species of land snails are edible. In the U.S., the most common species served as escargot are the helix pomatia variety; the snails are farm raised, packaged and sold as escargot. As with most mollusks, escargot is low in fat and high in protein.
Instructions
1. Fill the kettle with approximately 3 inches of water. Put the kettle to boil over high heat.
2. Add the snails to the steamer basket and rinse the snails with cool, tap water. Place the steamer basket in the kettle only after the water has reached a raging boil. Cover the kettle with the lid and steam the snails for two minutes.
3. Remove the basket from the kettle and rinse the snails under cool water. Pull the snails from their shells with the tongs. Cut the snails along their underside and remove their entrails with the back of your thumb or the handle of a spoon. Rise out the snail's body cavities under cool water.
4. Peel a medium clove of garlic and chop the lobes into small pieces with the knife. Add 1/4 cup butter to the skillet. Place the skillet on low heat until the butter has melted. Add the chopped garlic to the melted butter and simmer just until the garlic turns light brown. Add 1 cup of your favorite wine, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tbsp. thyme and 1 tbsp. parsley to the skillet. Allow the sauce to reach a fast simmer.
5. Add the cleaned snails to the skillet and simmer the snails, covered, for five minutes. Remove the cover from the skillet and stir the snails until the snails are thoroughly coated with the sauce. Recover the skillet and simmer the snails for another five minutes.
6. Rinse the snail shells thoroughly, inside and out, while the meats are cooking. Place the shells upside-down on paper towels to drain.
7. Remove the snails from the heat. Use the tongs to put the snails back in their shells. Arrange the snails on a serving platter and drizzle with sauce from the pan. Pour the remainder of the sauce into dipping bowls. Dust the snails with parsley and serve.
Tags: , , , five minutes, kettle with, land snails escargot, minutes Remove