Escargots à la Bourguignonne

Method

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1. Heat the oven to 220°C / 425°F.

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2. Beat the soft butter with the garlic, parsley, shallots, Pernod, salt and pepper until completely combined and bright green. Do not melt it.

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3. Put a small knob of the butter into the bottom of each shell.

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4. Push a snail in on top of it.

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5. Seal the mouth of each shell with more butter, pressing it in firmly so the snail is completely enclosed.

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6. Sit the shells butter-side up in a snail dish or on a bed of crumpled foil so they cannot tip over.

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7. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until the butter is bubbling furiously and browning at the edges. Serve immediately with bread.

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Chef’s Tips

• Soft butter, never melted, or it runs straight out.
• Butter under the snail as well as over it.
• A hot oven so it bubbles rather than merely melting.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
• A dry vermouth keeps for longer than an open bottle of white wine and is the closer swap than a random white left in the fridge; for an alcohol-free version, use the same amount of stock with a squeeze of lemon.

Pairing Suggestions

• Baguette
• A glass of Chablis
• Green salad

Storage & Reheating

The butter keeps 5 days refrigerated and freezes for 3 months. Assemble and bake fresh.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.