Escargots en barquette (snails go boating)

4 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
⅓ cup Shallots; finely diced
1 cup Dry white wine
½ cup Whipping cream
12 tablespoons Cold butter; unsalted, cut into small piece
Salt and white pepper
1 can Escargots; (7 to 8 ounces)*, rinsed
4 Artichoke hearts; cooked, quartered
1 tablespoon Parsley; chopped
1 tablespoon Garlic; finely chopped
4 Boat shaped puff pastry shells**; (barquettes)
4 tablespoons Blue cheese; such as gorgonzola, crumbled

Directions

* Substitute 12 ounces fresh bay scallops ** Or round pastry shells (Sold in specialty food markets or bakeries) Heat an oven to 350øF. Prepare the sauce. In a small, heavy bottomed saucepan, combine shallots and white wine. Bring wine to a boil and reduce until shallots are soft and the wine is almost entirely evaporated. Add cream and boil to reduce by a quarter. Whisking off and on the heat to prevent the butter from liquefying, beat 11½ tablespoons butter into the cream and shallots mixture. Strain, season to taste with salt and pepper, and keep warm in the top of a double boiler set over warm but not boiling water.

Heat remaining ½ tablespoon butter in a saute pan. Add escargots, artichoke pieces, parsley and garlic. Cook and stir over medium high heat, adding a little wine as needed to prevent burning.

Place barquettes (shells) on a baking sheet. Fill each with the escargot mixture and top with crumbled cheese. Heat in the oven until the cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes.

Make a pool with ¼ cup sauce in the center of each of 4 plates. Pose a barquette atop the sauce in the center of each plate. Scatter any remaining escargot mixture around the barquettes.

Serve with a sauvignon blanc from California such as St. Supery.

Published in Chicago Tribune Magazine 4/26/98 Typed and Busted by Carriej999@...

Recipe by: Chef Reinhard Barthel, Jr., Cafe 36, LaGrange, IL Posted to MC-Recipe Digest by Carriej999 <Carriej999@...> on Apr 26, 1998

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