Snail Ragout in Red Wine

By corlear

Ragoût d’Escargors à l’Irancy
A la Côte St.-Jacques—Joigny

Ingredients

• ½ cup minced carrot
• ½ cup minced onion
• 2 tablespoons butter
• tin containing 12 snails
• 1 cup Irancy or other dry red wine
• ½ cup brown sauce or jus lié
• ¼ cup white fish stock or clam juice
• 1 teaspoon fines herbes
• 6 sprigs of parsley
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• ½ bay leaf
• 10 very small white onions
• ½ cup water
• 2 teaspoons butter
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ pound mushrooms, diced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• garlic croutons for garnish

Details

Servings 2

Preparation

Step 1

In a skillet sweat ½ cup each of minced carrot and minced onion in 2 tablespoons butter, covered with a buttered round of wax paper and the lid, over low heat for 10 minutes, or until they are soft. Drain a tin containing 12 snails, rinse the snails, and add them to the vegetables, stirring with a wooden spatula until they are coated with the butter. Add 1 cup Irancy or other dry red wine, ½ cup brown sauce or jus lié, and ¼ cup white fish stock or clam juice. Add 1 teaspoon fines herbes and a cheesecloth bag containing 6 sprigs of parsley, ½ teaspoon thyme, and ½ bay leaf and simmer the mixture for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

In a small saucepan combine 10 very small white onions, ½ cup water, 2 teaspoons butter, and ½ teaspoon sugar. Bring the water to a boil and braise the onions, covered, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the liquid has evaporated and the onions are tender.

In a small skillet sauté ¼ pound mushrooms, diced, in 2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat until they are lightly browned. Add the onions and the mushrooms to the snail mixture and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes.

Remove and discard the cheesecloth bag, transfer the ragout to a heated shallow serving dish, and garnish it with garlic croutons, cut in heart shapes and sautéed in butter.