Recipe - Escargots En Barquette (Snails Go Boating)

1/3 cup Shallots; finely minced
1 cup Dry white wine
One half cup Whipping cream
12 tablespoon Cold butter; unsalted, cut
into small piece
Salt and white pepper
1 cn 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 tablespoon Blue cheese; such as
gorgonzola, crumbled

* 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 11 One half 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 One half 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 One fourth 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@AOL.com

Recipe by: Chef Reinhard Barthel, Jr., Cafe 36, LaGrange, IL

Posted to MCRecipe Digest by Carriej999 Carriej999@aol.com on Apr 26,
1998