About Escargots

• Commercially available escargots, which are usually farm-raised, are often packaged in a long clear tube with attractive shells in it. The edible escargot meat is usually packaged separately in a can. While you could go out into the woods or the backyard to harvest your own snails, not all types are edible. You’d need to put them on a diet of cornmeal and water for a few weeks to make sure their digestive tracts are purged. Traditionally served with butter and garlic, escargots are an acquired taste for many, probably because of the chewy texture and the hard-to-define flavor.

Baking in the Shell

• Make a butter and garlic sauce for the escargots by combining softened butter, minced shallot, minced garlic, chopped parsley and a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice. Taste the mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you’ve purchased shells and escargots, rather than just the meat in a can, place one escargot in each shell and fill each shell with the butter mixture. Cover the escargot and put them in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. When the oven is heated, transfer the snails to a baking dish, making sure they stay upright so the butter doesn’t leak out of the shells, and bake for 15 minutes.

Baking Without the Shell

• Cooks who bake escargots frequently invest in a special escargot plate with depressions for holding the snails and the sauce as they cook and as a serving plate. Small, ovenproof ramekins also work. Instead of butter, you may top the escargots with consommé and a sprinkling of Parmesan or mozzarella before baking. A more labor-intensive method of cooking escargots without the shells is to bake puff pastry shells, then fill them with escargots cooked in a sauce made of chopped garlic and onion, heavy cream, Parmesan and wilted baby spinach.

Serving and Sides

• Upscale restaurants offer their patrons escargot tongs to hold the shell while they scoop out the meat and sauce with a fork or spoon. Most home kitchens have little use for specialized equipment. Holding the shell in a napkin in one hand while you scoop with the other works just as well. Garlic and butter sauce calls for crusty bread for dipping. If the escargots are a main dish, rather than an appetizer, serve them with a light pasta or green salad, risotto or plain rice, sautéed mushrooms or fresh tomatoes drizzled with olive oil.