Frederic Melton
Escargot, or snails, are a French delicacy often served as an appetizer. Despite their fancy reputation, they are surprisingly easy to cook. Escargot can be prepared in a variety of ways, but a classic recipe involves baking them in garlic butter and serving them with bread. For an extra cheesy twist, you can sprinkle Parmesan or mozzarella cheese on top of the escargot before baking, or serve them on toasted baguette slices with garlic butter and cheese. If you're feeling extra adventurous, you can even try making escargot-stuffed mushrooms with a wine sauce and cheese topping. So, impress your friends with this elegant and delicious dish that's easier to prepare than you might think!
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of dish | Appetizer |
| Main ingredients | Escargot, butter, garlic, cheese |
| Other ingredients | Parsley, nutmeg, caper juice, vinegar, mushroom caps, wine, cream, flour, tarragon, pepper, breadcrumbs, baguette |
| Oven temperature | 350°F (175°C) or 400°F or 425°F |
| Baking time | 10-15 minutes |
| Preparation | Escargot should be rinsed and drained, garlic should be finely minced, butter should be softened at room temperature |
| Nutrition (approx. per serving) | Calories: 889kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 93g, Saturated Fat: 59g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 24g, Trans Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 274mg, Sodium: 128mg, Potassium: 464mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 5298IU, Vitamin C: 39mg, Calcium: 81mg, Iron: 4mg |
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What You'll Learn
Preparing the escargot
Next, prepare your garlic butter. The garlic butter is a key component of the dish, so it is important to use high-quality ingredients. Allow your butter to come to room temperature to soften, then mince or crush your garlic cloves. Fresh garlic is a must – pre-minced garlic will not give the same depth of flavour. You can also add chopped fresh parsley to your garlic butter. Combine your butter, garlic, and parsley, and season with salt and pepper.
Now you are ready to assemble your escargot dish. Spread your garlic butter on the base of an escargot dish or broiler-safe baking dish. Top with your snails, and cover with more butter. If you are using canned escargot, you can add the cooking liquid to the dish for extra flavour. If you are serving your escargot with mushrooms, place the mushroom caps in the dish, then place one snail in each mushroom cap, topping with a little more butter.
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Making the sauce
Escargot is a French word for snail, and the French dish of escargot involves cooking snails in garlic parsley butter. Escargot is usually served as an appetizer, often with a baguette or some other type of French bread.
To make the sauce for escargot, you will need butter, garlic, parsley, and cheese. You can also add other ingredients like shallots, nutmeg, caper juice, vinegar, and olive oil. Start by cutting the garlic, adding olive oil and salt, and baking it in the oven for an hour. Then, add butter, shallots, parsley, garlic, nutmeg, caper juice, and vinegar to a food processor. You can also add some red pepper and celery to the sauce. Blend all the ingredients until smooth. If you don't have a food processor, you can finely chop the ingredients and mix them well.
For the cheese, grated Parmesan is a popular choice, but you can also use shredded mozzarella. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the escargot before baking. You can also serve the escargot with garlic toasts on the side, made by spreading garlic butter on baguette slices and sprinkling them with cheese before broiling.
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Preparing the mushrooms
Once the mushrooms are in the dish, you will need to cook the escargot. Follow the previous steps to cook the escargot in butter and garlic. Then, spoon an escargot into each mushroom cap. You can also add some of the sauce to each mushroom cap to enhance the flavour.
At this stage, you can also add some additional ingredients to the mushrooms. For example, you could sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the mushrooms, or try shredded mozzarella cheese. You could also add some breadcrumbs or chopped herbs for extra texture and flavour.
Finally, bake the mushrooms in the oven until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown. This should take around 10 to 15 minutes. Keep an eye on the mushrooms to ensure they don't burn. And that's it! Your mushrooms are now ready to be served.
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Assembling the dish
To assemble this dish, you will need an escargot dish, or a broiler-safe baking dish. If you are serving the escargot with bread, you will also need a baking sheet or cookie sheet.
First, prepare the escargot. If using canned escargot, open the can and drain out the liquid. Rinse the escargot and allow them to sit in a strainer for a few minutes to remove any excess liquid. Place the escargot in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Let them sit for around 5 minutes to remove any canned flavour. Drain and pat dry with a paper towel.
Next, prepare the garlic butter. Finely mince around 10 cloves of garlic. Peel and cut the tops off the garlic, add some olive oil and salt, cover in foil, and bake for an hour. Add the butter, shallots, parsley, nutmeg, caper juice, and vinegar into a food processor with the roasted garlic. Alternatively, you can finely chop the garlic and mix it with the butter, herbs, and other ingredients by hand.
Now, assemble the dish. Place the escargot in the baking dish and top with the garlic butter. If using, place the mushroom caps into the dish, with the tops facing down, and spoon an escargot into each cap. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the top. If serving with bread, cut a baguette into quarter-inch slices and spread each slice with garlic butter. Sprinkle more cheese over the bread.
Finally, bake the assembled dish in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.
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Baking the escargot
Escargot is a French delicacy that can be prepared in a variety of ways, but baking is one of the most common methods. Here is a step-by-step guide to baking escargot with cheese:
Preparing the Escargot
Firstly, canned escargot is the most accessible option, and it is already cooked, so you only need to heat it and add flavour. Start by draining the liquid from the can and rinsing the escargot. This step is important to remove any canned flavour and reduce the saltiness. You can then soak the escargot in cold water for a few minutes and pat them dry with a paper towel.
The Garlic Butter
The garlic butter is a key component of the dish. Start by mincing or crushing your garlic. You can roast the garlic first to enhance its flavour. Next, allow your butter to soften at room temperature, and then mix it with the garlic, some salt, and freshly ground black pepper. You can also add chopped herbs like parsley at this stage for extra flavour.
Preheat your oven to 425°F. You will need a broiler-safe baking dish, ideally made of cast iron. Place the escargot in the dish, and top with the garlic butter. You can also add some wine sauce to the dish at this point. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the escargot. You can also use shredded mozzarella cheese.
Bake the escargot for 10-12 minutes, and then broil for 1-2 minutes, keeping a close eye on it, as it can pop and spit hot butter. The dish is ready when the butter is bubbling, and the cheese is golden brown.
Serving the Escargot
Escargot is usually served as an appetizer, often for special occasions. It is traditionally served with a baguette or other French bread to mop up the garlic butter. To prepare the bread, cut a baguette into quarter-inch slices, spread with butter or garlic butter, and broil until toasted. You can also sprinkle the toasts with Parmesan cheese and broil until melted. Serve the escargot in the baking dish with the toasts on the side, or plate individual servings with the escargot on top of the toasts.
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Frequently asked questions
Escargot is the French word for snail, and the French dish of snails cooked in garlic parsley butter.
Canned escargot can be purchased from most major supermarkets, such as Whole Foods and Walmart, or online from retailers like Amazon.
Canned escargot is fully cooked, so it simply needs to be rinsed and drained, then heated through with additional ingredients to add flavour.
You will need escargot, butter, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, and cheese. For the cheese, Parmesan is most commonly used, but shredded mozzarella can also be used.
After preparing the escargot, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the escargot, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper, and cook for 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a baking dish, sprinkle with cheese, and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.
