How to Cook Escargots on Garlic Toast

Posted By Kimberly Turner on Jan 17, 2012 in Appetizers, French, Hors D'Oeuvres, Quick Meals | 0 comments

Escargots, apparently, is not for the faint-hearted…

…Either you can get over the fact that they are snails or you can’t. Plain and simple. LOL

One word to the wise: These snails aren’t your average garden-variety snail. They are land snails specifically bred for this purpose.

I have loved escargots from a very young age. In fact, I remember ordering them in restaurants for myself at 5 years of age with my parents. They always allowed me pretty free reign since I was very young to make decisions for myself, try new things and experience more “cultured” things. The waiter would often look to my parents for my order and they would tell him I would make the order for myself, which usually encompassed 2 orders of escargots when we were in a fancy restaurant. I just loved them!

Typically, escargots are a French-style appetizer. Usually served in a garlic butter sauce with herbs…sometimes topped with cheese, served in the shell or in mushroom caps, which is rather traditional.

This is a very quick fix for those escargot lovers at heart with less mess, less prep, and jam-packed with the same traditional flavor that you’re craving. All too often, these are a great midnight snack for me. 😉

Type: Appetizer
Serve With: A glass of Late Harvest Vidal Wine or a Crisp Riesling
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 8 mins
Yield: 1 large appetizer or 2 smaller ones

Ingredients:

• 1 can of escargots – readily available at most grocer stores (where you find the canned fish)
• 5 mushrooms – can be crimini or button
• 2 tbsp onion – chopped or thinly sliced
• 1 large garlic clove – minced
• 1 small garlic clove – to rub on toast
• juice of 1/2 lemon – only use a fresh lemon, not bottled juice. It will ruin the dish, in my opinion.
• 2 tbsp white wine
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley – finely chopped
• 1 dash cayenne pepper
• freshly cracked black pepper – to taste

Instructions:

1. In a small sauce pot, melt butter and add olive oil on medium heat.
2. Rinse escargots with cold water and set aside to drain.
3. Sautee onions, garlic and mushrooms in butter/olive oil mixture until softened.
4. Add escargots, lemon juice and white wine. Allow liquid to reduce by half and escargots to heat through stirring frequently.
5. While escargots are heating through, slice a piece of French bread and toast it well. Then, rub the small garlic clove over the toast to get a slight garlicky flavor. Put on your plate.
6. Then, once escargots are prepared, pour the entire mixture over the French bread, sprinkle with some extra finely minced parsley and voila!

This will be eaten with a knife and a fork and enjoyed thoroughly. You may split the mixture in two, if this is too much to eat yourself.

This recipe can also be used the same way to make smaller hors d’oeuvres on small crostini style bread toasted and rubbed with garlic in the same way.

If you’re craving the cheese, prepare this as above, but place it on a small cookie sheet in the oven to melt some mozzarella or sharp cheddar cheese.

* Tip: I well toast my French bread because it will be soaked with the garlic butter mixture.