Escargot Provençale

Escargots (snails) in a tin are available from delicatessens and specialty stores.

Ingredients & Method

Snail Butter (serves ten)

• 400g butter
• 20g chopped garlic
• 3 bunches parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 20g almond meal
• 10g salt
• pinch pepper
• pinch nutmeg
• 40g mushrooms, finely diced
• 60g diced prosciutto
• 60g finely chopped shallots

Sautée mushrooms in a teaspoon of butter with shallots, allow to cool. Mix all the ingredients together.

Tomato Fondue

• 1 kg tomatoes quartered, deseeded and peeled
• Garlic
• Thyme
• Sugar
• Salt

Cook the fondue in oven at 120ºC for about 2 hours or until the fondue is quite dry.

Snails
Sauté the snails in butter with salt and pepper. The suggestion is to apportion six snails per person.

Croutons

• Pain de mie (white bread with crusts removed)
• Clarified butter

Cut the bread into small croutons and brown them in clarified butter. Keep aside.

To serve

In an individual chinaware dish, arrange the tomato fondue in the bottom, then add six snails or more on the top of the fondue, then cover with the snails butter, cook in an oven at 180ºC for about 6 minutes, serve immediately with croutons on top.

John Hawkesby’s wine suggestion

Sauvignon Blanc
Invivo 2008
Moncellier 2008

Pinot Noir
Lime Rock White Knuckle Hill 2007