This easy appetizer for escargot stuffed mushrooms will make your guests think you worked away in the kitchen for hours. The recipe is a tradition in the Burgundy region of France, which draws a great deal from its German heritage. It also pairs well with the region's excellent and famous wines.
You can prepare the snails ahead of time, even the day before, and refrigerate them until you're ready to make the mushrooms. As an added benefit, you'll seal in the snails' flavor if you actually freeze them a day or several days before your guests arrive.
Ingredients
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6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
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2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots
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1 clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped
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1 tablespoon finely chopped celery
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1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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1/8 teaspoon freshly ground ground black pepper
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12 large mushrooms, cleaned with stems removed
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1 (7 3/4-ounce) can snails, 12 large snails
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients.
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Preheat the oven to 375 F. Mix together the 6 tablespoons of softened butter with the shallots, garlic, celery, parsley, salt, and pepper.
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Place a small spoonful of herb butter and a snail in each mushroom cap, then brush the exterior of the mushroom with a bit of the herb butter.
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Arrange the mushrooms in a shallow baking dish.
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Bake them for 15 minutes and serve hot. Enjoy!
Tips
- You can cut your preparation time a little if you use canned snails, allowing you to spend even less time in the kitchen and more time with your guests. Cleaning and preparing fresh snails for cooking can take 30 minutes or more and should be done right before cooking. You can also buy snails frozen, but some professional chefs consider canned snails to be the best if you can't lay your hands on the fresh version or you don't want to spend a king's ransom for them.
- You won't want to pop the snails directly from the can into the mushroom caps, however. Wash them before beginning this recipe. Then soak or cook them sous vide to tenderize them and to lift traces of that metallic aftertaste that can linger from the cans. Sous vide involves simmering them over very, very low heat for an hour to 90 minutes. If you opt to soak the snails, seal them in a plastic bag, and place them in a warm water bath for about four hours. Make sure the water's temperature maintains at about 155 F.
- Whether you simmer or soak, don't just plop the snails in water. Get creative. Try a few spoonfuls of stock, and add your choice of garlic cloves, thyme, lemon zest, and parsley. Use the same stock mixture in the plastic bag for soaking.
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
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144 | Calories |
12g | Fat |
3g | Carbs |
7g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 6 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 144 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 12g | 16% |
Saturated Fat 7g | 37% |
Cholesterol 49mg | 16% |
Sodium 207mg | 9% |
Total Carbohydrate 3g | 1% |
Dietary Fiber 1g | 2% |
Total Sugars 1g | |
Protein 7g | |
Vitamin C 2mg | 11% |
Calcium 12mg | 1% |
Iron 2mg | 10% |
Potassium 249mg | 5% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |