Whelks With Escargot Butter Food

ESCARGOTS WITH PERSILLADE BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Prepare the Persillade Butter: In the bowl of a food processor, add butter, garlic, shallots, parsley, chives, almond flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Blend until bright green and uniformly combined, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl and push down the parsley as needed. Makes 1 cup.
• To cool the butter: Place Persillade Butter on a square of plastic wrap. Roll into a log about the same diameter as the divots of the escargot dish; then wrap tightly, removing as much air as possible. Place in the refrigerator. (Persillade Butter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and in the freezer for up to 1 month.)
• Escargots, part 1: Remove snails from the can and drain; discard the liquid. Escargot can be prepared with or without shells. With shells: Use a small spoon to push a snail into each shell; do not push too deeply, or the snails will be hard to retrieve. Without shells: Place one snail in each divot of an escargot dish.
• Escargots, part 2: Use an offset spatula to pack each snail shell with about 1 tablespoon of the Persillade Butter. Neatly level off the butter at the opening and place in the escargot dish, opening side up. (As the escargots bake, some of the butter will melt out of the shells and into the dish.)Without shells: It's best to use well-chilled Persillade Butter for escargots without shells. Unwrap the log of butter and slice about 1 tablespoon of butter per snail. Cover each snail with a slice of butter. Use a paring knife to trim away the top and bottom of each cherry tomato; then cut in half. Top each snail with a slice of cherry tomato. Place both escargot dishes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper (for easy clean-up). Roast in the oven until butter is foaming, 8-10 minutes.
• Remove escargots from oven. Serve hot with escargot forks (optional) and baguette slices.

WHELKS WITH PARSLEY AND GARLIC BUTTER

Steps:

• In a running food processor, drop garlic through feed tube to mince. Place parsley in container of machine and pulse to mince. Add butter and seasonings, and process until well blended. No bits of butter should show. Set aside.
• Bring several quarts of water, heavily salted (like seawater), to a boil. Add whelks and boil 4 minutes. Drain.
• Place butter mixture in a metal bowl fitted into a small saucepan of simmering water, or in a double boiler. Whisk until mixture melts, then transfer to a serving dish or small individual bowls. Serve 2 to 3 whelks a person, with melted-butter mixture for dipping.

WHELKS WITH ESCARGOT BUTTER

Steps:

• Prepare the escargot butter first. In a food processor, combine the butter, garlic, parsley, bread crumbs, almond powder, pastis, salt, pepper, and Tabasco and process until creamy. Scoop into a bowl, cover, and store in the fridge.
• Soak the whelks in cold water to cover for 2 hours, changing the water 2 or 3 times.
• Drain the whelks. In a small stockpot, bring the water and salt to a boil over high heat. Add the whelks, lower the heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes. While the whelks are cooking, remove the escargot butter from the fridge to soften, and preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
• When the whelks are ready, drain and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then rinse the shells. Using a fondue fork, remove the meats from the shells. Reserve the shells. Clean the meats by removing any muddy or sandy appendages, and then rinse the meats.
• Make 4 or 5 neat little slices, 1/4 inch (6 mm) deep across each meat, and carefully put the meats back into their shells. Dab a spackle of escargot butter on the opening of each whelk, effectively closing it shut. Place the whelks in a small gratin dish (from which you should eat them).
• Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until the butter is crackling and bubbling. Serve piping hot.

ESCARGOT, IN THE SHELL WITH HERB BUTTER

Steps:

• Rinse the escargot under warm water, pat shells dry with a paper towel, then set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, shallots, garlic, parsley, and lemon juice. Mix all ingredients well with a small spoon. Lightly season butter with salt and pepper, until desired taste is achieved.
• When butter is at desired flavor, begin to scoop a small amount of herb butter in each shell of escargot. If there is extra butter left over after each shell has been filled, go back and continue the process, adding extra butter, until all the butter has been used.
• Put the stuffed shells into the fridge and allow to sit for about 20 minutes, giving the butter enough time to solidify in shells. While the shells are in the fridge, set the oven to 350 degrees F.
• When the butter is solid in the shells, remove from fridge and transfer shells into an oven-safe pan. If possible, avoid placing shells on a sheet tray, as we want the snails to cook in the butter as much as possible. Cook snails for 15 minutes, max.
• Serve snails, in shells, on top of toasted pieces of baguette, or in a fresh tomato-based sauce.