Escargot for Bizarre Foods

"Next week, we're eating snails," I announced to my Bizarre Foods class. Little did I know how much of an adventure it was going to be. First, I remember seeing escargot in many stores - Safeway, Cost Plus, the commissary - the last time I bought them. But this week, they were nowhere to be found. The checker at Safeway told me that they hadn't carried them in a long time. Boo. But my dad finally located a can at Nob Hill in Pacific Grove. Thanks, Dad.

Second, my mom couldn't find her shells. So, I found escargot dishes and put a couple on hold at Sur La Table. But a friend offered me hers. Sweet. I love my little village. All set...

Escargot, French for 'snail', is a cooked land snail. Escargots are usually served as a starter in Portugal, Spain, and France. May 24th has been designated "National Escargot Day" in the United States. We're a little bit early, but oh well.

The verdict: meh. I was able to get ten out of twelve of my students to try durian. Click to read about our durian adventure. But I was only able to get four out of ten to try the snails!

Ingredients serves 12

• 1 can escargot
• 1 C butter, room temperature (we made our own butter!)
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 T herbs, minced (we used a mixture of parsley, cilantro, and rosemary)
• 4 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Freshly ground salt
•  Freshly ground pepper

Procedure

Rinse the escargot under warm water. Pat dry with a paper towel. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, shallots, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice. Mix all ingredients well with a small spoon. Lightly season butter with salt and pepper.

Scoop a small amount of herb butter in hollow of the escargot dish. Place the escargot on top and put another dollop of butter on top. Cook snails for 12 to 15 minutes. Top with more butter, if desired. You can never have enough butter with snails, I think!

Serve snails with toasted pieces of baguette or crackers.