Saussarelle D'Escargots
Submitted by yerit
Saussarelle d’escargots with snails in red wine, tomato, and espagnole sauce finished with brandy and fennel, served in artichoke bottoms. A refined French appetizer.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
25 minREADY
40 minThis is French bistro cooking at its most elegant. Escargots sauteed in butter and flambeed with brandy get simmered in a rich sauce built from Sauce Espagnole, fresh tomatoes, red wine, and aromatics, then spooned into tender artichoke bottoms for a stunning presentation.
The sauce comes together in two pans. One builds a vegetable base with garlic, shallots, carrots, bay, and thyme simmered in red wine. The other heats tomatoes with the espagnole. When they combine, you get a layered, deeply savory sauce with real depth.
Flaming the brandy burns off the raw alcohol and leaves behind a concentrated, caramelized sweetness that rounds out the acidity of the tomatoes and wine. The fennel added at the end brings a subtle anise note that’s classic with snails.
Chef Tips
- Cook the artichoke bottoms until tender but still firm. They need structure to hold the sauce and snails without collapsing
- Drain the canned snails well and pat dry before sauteing. Wet snails steam instead of searing in the hot butter
- When flaming the brandy, tilt the pan away from you and ignite carefully. Let the flames die naturally, which means the alcohol has fully burned off
- Reduce the red wine by a third with the snails before combining with the sauce. This concentrates the wine flavor and removes any harsh booziness
Variations
- Mushroom cups: Use large sauteed mushroom caps instead of artichoke bottoms for a quicker, more accessible presentation
- Without espagnole: Substitute a rich beef or veal demi-glace if you don’t have espagnole sauce on hand
- Puff pastry vol-au-vents: Spoon the snail mixture into baked puff pastry shells for an even more dramatic appetizer
Ingredients
Directions
** See recipe for Sauce Espagnole.
Cook the artichokes with lemon in boiling water for 10 minutes or until still firm but cooked through.
Set aside.
Melt half of the butter in a pan and add garlic, carrots, shallots, and onions.
In another pan, put the tomatoes and the sauce.
Let simmer.
To the vegetables, add bay, thyme and half of the red wine.
Simmer for 10 minutes and pour into the simmering tomato sauce.
Put the remaining butter in a skillet and, when hot, add the drained snails.
Add the remaining red wine and reduce by one-third.
Add brandy to the snails and burn off the alcohol carefully.
Combine the snails and sauce and add fennel.
Simmer for 5 minutes, taste and correct seasoning with salt and pepper.
Pour the mixture into the drained artichoke bottoms and garnish with parsley.
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