Re: Att. Ray -- of snails and slugs

En réponse à Barry Garcia <barry_garcia@...>:

>
> All this talk of escargots is making me brave to try them :).
Next step will be frog legs won't it? :)

 I guess
> it's
> just a psychological thing, seeing them in the garden..and what happens
> when you add salt.
Well, if you find that disgusting, you're gonna have trouble preparing them (if
you hunt them yourself. If you buy them prepared you won't have that trouble :)
). The first step of the cleaning is indeed what we call "dégorgeage", and
consists in putting all the snails in a big bucket, add water and lots of salt,
and let it do for one hour (or two, I never remember. I know that some people
repeat this step twice or three times, but I don't know if it's really
necessary), before cleaning them with water.

 Apparently the garden snails in California are the
> "petit gris" of France.
Mmmm... the best ones in my opinion. Much better than those ugly "escargots de
Bourgogne" that are so fat that you have to cut them with a knife to actually
eat them. The "petits gris" have also a better texture, the "Bourgogne" ones
feel too much like rubber...

 Hmm......i may have to find out how to properly
> prepare them and try them (they couldnt have too much of a different
> texture from things like clams).
>
Well, after what I explained, you have to get them out of their shell to get rid
of their dirt and their intestines (not a very nice job, but easy to do if you
did the first step correctly. It should go with ease), and clean them under
water. After that it's not difficult: keep them in a pot (snails are easy to
keep. They can also be frozen without a problem, but they are better when you
cook them if you freeze them with the "beurre d'escargots") and clean the shells
if you want to use them. Personnally I prefer eating escargots in a special dish
rather than in the shells, but that's personal preference and I guess
escargots-dishes are not easy to find in America :) . As for the famous "beurre
d'escargots", I don't know exactly how to prepare it (i.e. I don't know the
amounts you need). It's basic ingredients are butter, garlic, and persil (what
is the English word?). Garlic and persil must be chopped finely and mixed by
hand with the butter. Maybe add a little salt but it's usually not necessary. I
cannot think of any other herb you would need but I guess everyone has their own
recipe with their own favorite herbs in it :) . If you use the shells, put back
the snails in their shells, add a generous amount of "beurre d'escargots" (a
nutsize usually) to close completely the shell. Place all the shells in a plate
for the oven, and put it in the hot oven until the butter is melted. If you use
special escargot dishes, they should go into the oven without a problem, and
then put the "beurre" directly on the snails (same quantity). They're ready! Eat
them as soon as they get out of the oven, escargots get cold quite fast when
they are simply in their shell.

Well, after Irina's recipe for ice-cream, my recipe for escargots, who's next?
:)

Christophe.

http://rainbow.conlang.free.fr

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