Best Snail Tartlets Recipes

PISSALADIERE

Steps:

• For the topping, heat the olive oil in a very large saute pan and cook the onions, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic over low heat for 45 minutes, until the onions are sweet and cooked but not browned. Toss the onions from time to time. After 30 minutes, take out the garlic, chop it roughly, and add it back to the onions.
• Meanwhile, for the dough, combine the water, yeast, honey, and olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. (If the bowl is cold, start with warmer water so it's at least 100 degrees F when you add the yeast.) Add 3 cups of the flour, then the salt, and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make a soft dough. Mix the dough on medium-low speed for about 10 minutes, until smooth, sprinkling it with flour to keep it from sticking to the bowl. When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel. Allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal parts, rolling each 1 into a smooth ball. If you're only making 1 pissaladiere, place 1 ball on a baking sheet and cover it loosely with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. (If you're not using the other dough, wrap it well and refrigerate or freeze it for the next time.) Roll the dough lightly with a rolling pin, then stretch it to a 10 by 15-inch rectangle and place it on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.
• Spoon the onion topping onto the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border all around. Artfully arrange the anchovies and olives on top, brush the edge of the dough with olive oil, and bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust is crisp. Serve hot on a cutting board.

DANISH SNAILS

Steps:

• Place sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
• On a lightly floured work surface roll out dough 1/8-inch thick rectangle. Brush surface all over with egg. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture in an even layer to cover. Any remaining cinnamon sugar may be reserved for another use. Fold dough in half lengthwise to enclose cinnamon sugar. Trim edges, discarding scraps. Cut lengthwise strips 3/4-inch-wide. Twist each strip and roll into a spiral. Let rest in a warm place until dough is doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Fill the center of each spiral with a small dollop of apricot jam. Brush dough with the remaining beaten egg. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until pastries are evenly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve at room temperature. Snails are best eaten the same day they are made.

SNAILS FLORENTINE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Prepare the snails and set them aside.
• Heat the butter in a saucepan and add the shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring, until wilted. Add the watercress, spinach and parsley and cook, stirring, until the leaves wilt, about 30 seconds.
• Put the mixture into the container of a food processor or electric blender. Blend to a fine puree. There should be about one cup or slightly less. Spoon and scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl and add the Tabasco sauce, anchovy paste and Pernod or Ricard. Blend well.
• Fill each of 36 snail shells (natural, ceramic or otherwise) with one cooked snail. Spoon enough of the spinach mixture into the shells to fill. Arrange the filled shells on baking dishes or snail dishes.
• Place in the oven and bake 10 minutes. Serve piping hot.

SNAILS IN A WHITE BUTTER SAUCE WITH HERBS (ESCARGOTS AUX FINES HERBES)

Steps:

• Prepare the snails and set them aside.
• Remove the core from the lettuce. Wash the leaves well. Drain well. Stack the leaves and cut them into very thin shreds. There should be about eight cups loosely packed. Set aside.
• Heat two tablespoons of the butter in a skillet and add the lettuce. Cook, stirring, until wilted.
• Combine the shallots, wine and vinegar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil. Cook over high heat until most of the liquid is evaporated.
• Cut the remaining four tablespoons of butter into cubes.
• Stir the shallots with a wire whisk and cook over low heat while adding the butter, two or three cubes at a time. Continue stirring vigorously until all the butter is added. Add the anchovy paste, tarragon, chives and basil.
• Heat the tomato about five seconds in a hot skillet, stirring. Add it to the butter sauce.
• Reheat the lettuce. Spoon an equal portion on top of each toast rectangle. Arrange three snails neatly on the lettuce. Spoon the sauce over each serving and serve.

SNAIL TARTLETS

Steps:

• Drain and rinse snails. Place in a saucepan with wine, water, onion, peppercorns, bay leaf and salt to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Set aside to cool in the broth.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Combine flour and one teaspoon salt in a bowl or in the work bowl of a food processor. Mix with a fork or by turning the machine on and off once or twice.
• Add all but two tablespoons of the butter in small pats and blend, using a pastry blender, a fork or two knives, or by using a pulse mechanism of a food processor, until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the ice water a little at a time, mixing lightly until a ball of dough can be formed. With a food processor, add the water through the feed tube. You may need less water if you use a food processor.
• Roll out the dough and cut three-inch circles to fit tiny tartlet tins, each about one-and-three-fourths inches in diameter. Tuck pastry into the molds, prick the bottoms, then bake for about six minutes, until the pastry looks dry but has not colored. Remove pastry from oven.
• Drain snails. If they are very large, coarsely dice them.
• Melt remaining two tablespoons of butter in a skillet, add the garlic and saute over low heat until the garlic is tender but not brown.
• Add the snails and cream and cook, stirring for a few minutes. Stir in parsely and season to taste with salt. Remove from heat and stir in the milk.
• Beat the eggs. Stir into the snail mixture. Spoon this mixture into the tartlet pans, distributing the pieces of snail evenly among them.
• Place in the oven, reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake about 20 minutes until lighly browned.
• Cool briefly then serve or prepare in advance and reheat for 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven before serving.