Escargots à la Bourguignonne

The classic French dish title, Escargots à la Bourguignonne, means snails with rich, fragrant garlic parsley butter, in this case, baked in a casserole dish. Yep, no need to stuff them in shells! This way is much, much easier and just as delicious!

This recipe is adapted from one by the late great Anthony Bourdain, from his book, Les Halles Cookbook: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking, where he shares recipes from his French bistro in New York. 

In the introduction to the escargot recipe, he declared that in all of his (at the time) 28 years working in US restaurants, he had never seen a single restaurant serving fresh snails. To his knowledge even the best ones use canned escargots. 

Well, if they are good enough for Anthony Bourdain, they are certainly good enough for me. If you don’t have this cookbook, allow me to entice you to get a copy. The recipe for the mushroom soup alone is worth the price (so creamy and rich, with zero actual cream - and do NOT skip adding the little bit of sherry at the end - so good!) but my favorite part is all the snarky asides and personal commentary that accompany the recipes. Anthony Bourdain at his absolute finest. 

I was fortunate enough to get my copy as a gift from my daughters one Christmas so it’s a treasured book in more than one way. I highly recommend it if you are a fan of 1. Anthony Bourdain and/or 2. French cooking. I wanted to add an Amazon affiliate link but it looks like the book is out of print. The only available copies are so expensive, which is disappointing. See if you can borrow one from your library. 

Escargots à la Bourguignonne

This recipe will serve four for a generous appetizer or two little pigs for an absolutely super rich lunch. In a nod to adding something healthy if eating this as a whole meal, a fresh tomato salad with a simple vinaigrette goes nicely. Two cans of snails yields about 220g once they are drained and rinsed.

Ingredients

2  (7.5 oz or 200g) cans snails in brine, drained and rinsed

1 shallot or half a purple onion, minced

½ cup or 120ml dry white wine

1 head garlic, peeled and separated

1 ounce or 28g flat parsley leaves

1/2 cup or 113g butter

Salt and pepper

To serve:

1/2 long baguette, sliced in rounds

 

Method

In a small pot, combine the snails, shallot (or onion) and white wine and bring to a simmer. 

Cook for 15 minutes. Drain and set the snails aside. Anthony adds this comment, which made me laugh: “I know, I know—they’re ugly. But they’re good. Hang in there.”

In the food processor, combine the garlic and parsley and pulse until finely chopped. 

Add the butter and process until the mixture is a smooth, green paste. 

Season with a little salt and pepper.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C. 

Choose a baking dish where the snails will cover most of the bottom. Spoon the snails into it. Dollop the garlic parsley butter over the snails. 

Bake for about 15 minutes in your preheated oven or until the butter is melted and there is the slightest color on the snails. 

Remove from the oven and serve immediately with the sliced baguette. 

Enjoy! 

It's the first Wednesday of the month so my Foodie Extravaganza Foodie friends are sharing recipes again. This month our theme or main ingredient is garlic! Many thanks to our host, Radha of Magical Recipes. 

• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Garlic Ginger Chicken Nuggets
• Sneha’s Recipe: Garlic-Keto Paneer Steaks In Cafreal Masala
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Garlic and Chive Flower Buns
• Palatable Pastime: Roasted Garlic Sautéed Squash
• Food Lust People Love: Escargots à la Bourguignonne
• Magical Ingredients: Garlicky Pink Peppercorn Paneer

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

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Potage de Crécy - French Carrot Soup

Potage de Crécy or French Carrot Soup is a traditional dish made from sweet carrots with rice as a thickener. It’s smooth, savory and delicious!

The story behind this very traditional French soup is that is it named for Crécy-en-Ponthieu , a town in northern France that is said to produce carrots with the best flavor in the country. I’ve done a little research and visited several sites about the town and their claim to carrot fame isn’t mentioned these days. 

I did find out more information about the battle that started the Hundred Years’ War which was fought there in 1346.  Despite its name, the war lasted 116 years and involved not just the English who started it by attacking the French on their own soil, but it grew to encompass much of what is now considered Europe. Who knew? 

Certain historians fix the creation of Potage de Crécy on this date, because it would have been made to nourished the British army. In fact, it has also been suggested that the soup was served to triumphant English soldiers after the battle was over, with carrots sourced (pillaged?) from Crécy. Talk about kicking a town when they are already down!

To commemorate the battle, this soup was eaten King Edward VII each year on August 26th, the day of the battle in honor of his ancestor, Edward of Woodstock who led the battle. Today seems an appropriate time to share the recipe. 

Potage de Crécy - French Carrot Soup

I’ve added fine sea salt as an ingredient but how much you will need depends greatly on how salty your stock is. A little salt always seems to help accentuate the sweetness of the carrots though. 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 small shallots, finely chopped

1 small stalk celery, stringed and finely chopped

1 pound sweet carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

1/4 cup or 45g rice, preferably Arborio 

5 1/4 cups or 1.25L chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 teaspoon sugar

fine sea salt, to taste as needed

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Optional for garnish:

Chopped fresh herbs, such as chives or parsley

1 cup toasted croutons

Method

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium-low heat and add the shallot and celery. 

Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. 

Add the carrots, cover partially and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and fragrant. 

Add the rice, stock and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until the carrots are completely soft.

Blend the soup either with a hand blender or in a blender, in batches. Do be careful not to splash or overfill as the hot soup will scald you. 

Return to the pot. 

Stir and taste. Adjust salt, add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, and heat through. If the sweetness of the carrots needs a boost, add another pinch of sugar.

Serve, garnishing each bowl with sprinkle of herbs. Put the croutons on the table and let people help themselves. (I did make croutons! They just didn't get in the photos.)

Enjoy! 

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Chocolat Chaud - French Hot Chocolate

This Chocolat Chaud aka French Hot Chocolate is made the old-fashioned way with hot milk and rich dark 85% cocoa chocolate. Add sugar or don't, to taste. In France, many don't add sugar but I need a little!

Years ago when we lived in Paris, it was a special treat to go out to a café for a café crème or chocolat chaud. In fact, we had a running joke about finding the most expensive cup of coffee. I think the winner was a café on the Champs-Élysées, natch, that charged me 35 francs for a small cup of coffee, which would have been about $10. In 1992, it seemed a small fortune. 

The upshot, as I’m sure you can imagine, was that we made coffee and hot chocolate at home at a lot. 

Chocolat Chaud - French Hot Chocolate

You can find chocolate powder in France but if you want to make traditional chocolat chaud, you need a good quality chocolate bar that is at least 70 percent cocoa. It’s also best made with whole milk. 

Ingredients

2 cups or 480ml whole milk

4.4 oz or 125g bittersweet chocolate, best-quality

2 tablespoons demerara or turbinado sugar or to taste

Method

Chop the chocolate roughly. (This chocolate was an Aldi buy. Great chocolate at a reasonable price.)

In a small pot, over a low flame, heat the milk until it just starts to steam. 

Remove the pot from the stove and add in the chopped chocolate. 

Whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. 

Add sugar to taste or let everyone add sugar to their own cups. Serve immediately or return the hot chocolate to the stove and cook for a few more minutes for thicker hot chocolate. This hot chocolate can also be cooled then warmed again to serve. 

Serve warm in demitasse cups, or small coffee or tea cups. It's so lovely, rich and thick that the sugar doesn't really sink until you stir!

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and we are celebrating National Hot Chocolate Day (which is tomorrow, 31 January) by sharing our favorite recipes. Check out the links below. Many thanks to our host, Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla and her friendly helper, Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm.

• Cheese in Your Hot Chocolate? Yep. Chocolate con Queso from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Chocolat Chaud - French Hot Chocolate from Food Lust People Love
• Cinnamon Chilli Hot chocolate from Sizzling Tastebuds
• Homemade Hot Chocolate Bombs from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Hot Chocolate Cookies from Making Miracles
• Mexican Hot Chocolate from Mayuri’s Jikoni 
• Nutella Hot Chocolate from Sneha's Recipe
• Salted Caramel Espresso Hot Cocoa (Salted Caramel Mocha) from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
• Spicy Hot Chocolate from The Mad Scientist’s Kitchen

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Croissants aux Amandes - Almond Croissants

Sweet almond filling and almond syrup transform stale croissants into delicious, more-ish Croissants aux Amandes or Almond Croissants. They are perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack. 

When we lived in Paris, we were fortunate to have an excellent bakery just up the block from our house. Many an afternoon found us taking a walk not only for exercise and to get out of the house but to pick up supplies for that afternoon meal the French call le goûter.

Le goûter literally translates to "the taste" but it's what the British would probably call afternoon tea and Americans an afterschool snack. It is an institution in France, meant to fill the hunger gap between lunch and the typically late (by American standards, anyway) family dinner. Le goûter was a tradition we heartily endorsed. 

Our bakery displayed a wide variety of baked goods every day but I was puzzled when I realized that almond croissants made a sporadic appearance. Upon inquiry, I was informed that they only made almond croissants when there were stale croissants leftover from the day before. Adding the almond filling and syrup was a way to salvage dry day-old croissants and turn them into a new delicious treat instead of letting them go to waste. Some days it seemed, I arrived too late if the supply had been small. 

Brilliant, right? With the consumer associations carefully monitoring the prices bakeries charge for bread, and competition from all the other many bakeries, I’m guessing margins are tight. According to NPR, there are more than 30,000 independent bakeries in France. All I know is that almond croissants are wonderful and it's a great idea not to waste. Win-win.

Croissants aux Amandes - Almond Croissants 

I used all-butter croissants bought at my nearby supermarket bakery department for this recipe. Mine were several days old but I kept them in the refrigerator from when they were purchased until I was ready to make them in to almond croissants. 

Ingredients

6 croissants, preferably day-old

6 tablespoons sliced almonds

For the almond paste aka frangipane:

3/4 cup or 75g almond flour (also called almond meal or ground almonds)

1/3 cup or 66g granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/4 cup or 57g unsalted butter, at room temperature

A few drops pure almond extract

Pinch fine sea salt

For the sugar syrup:

1/2 cup or 120ml water

1/4 cup or 50g granulated sugar

2 tablespoons amaretto (or substitute a drop or two of almond extract)

For serving:

Powdered sugar

Method

To make the almond paste or frangipane, beat together the almond flour, sugar, egg, butter, almond extract and salt in a mixing bowl until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl down occasionally. Keep beating until the paste is light and fluffy, another minute or two. 

Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C and prepare a large baking pan by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone liner.

To make the syrup, measure your water into a microwaveable vessel and add in the sugar. Heat for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. You can also do this step in a small pot on the stovetop. Stir in the amaretto or almond extract. 

Use a serrated knife to cut each croissant open horizontally, like a book, leaving one side uncut. 

Use a pastry brush to liberally and generously soak the insides of the croissants with the syrup. 

Put 2 tablespoons of the almond paste on one side of each croissant and spread it out to the very edges.

 

Close the croissants and press down gently. Divide the remaining almond paste between the croissants and spread it around to cover the tops. 

Sprinkle each croissant with 1 tablespoon of the sliced almonds and press them in slightly so they stick to the almond paste. 

Bake in your preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Turn the pan around halfway through so the almond croissants will brown evenly. 

Let them cool for a few minutes, then sprinkle each filled almond croissant with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

This Sunday FunDay we are sharing recipes for making croissants and recipes made with croissants because yesterday was National Croissant Day. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. Check out the links below: 

• Bean and Chicken Cassoulet by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cheesy Sausage and Croissant Casserole by Making Miracles
• Chocolate Croissants (Pain au Chocolate) by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Croissants aux Amandes (Almond Croissants) by Food Lust People Love
• Homemade Crescent Rolls by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Mardi Gras Cream Cheese King Cake Croissants by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Sourdough Croissants by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Yeasted Croissant by Sneha's Recipe

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Almond Croissants!

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Beef and Mushroom Bourguignon (Instant Pot)

Beef and Mushroom Bourguignon is rich and flavorful, a hearty comforting meal for cold winter nights, made quicker than usual in an Instant Pot. 

Normally beef bourguignon requires a long slow braise to tenderize the meat, which is all very fine and well if you have the time. If I’m being honest, these days I mostly do. That said, ever since our kitchen renovation early in 2020 when I was cooking in my Instant Pot in the laundry room, I’ve been enamored with that small appliance. Why not use it? 

The Instant Pot makes short work of a long braise (35 minutes!) and best of all, there’s only one pot to clean. Whenever my mom sees me taking it out, she wonders what my grandmother would have thought of such a thing. As a working woman still expected to put a meal on the table every day, I think she would have been intrigued. I know she used her pressure cooker and this is just a more efficient one. 

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, by all means fry the bacon, brown the beef and sauté the onions and celery in a skillet on the stove, then transfer the whole lot into a slow cooker. Add the stock, wine, carrots and mushrooms and cook on high for 6-8 hours, or until the beef is tender. 

Beef and Mushroom Bourguignon

A traditional beef bourguignon does include mushrooms but they are definitely a supporting player for the star beef. In this recipe, I’ve significantly upped the amount of mushrooms and used “beefier” baby bellas instead of the standard white mushrooms, cutting larger ones in quarters and halving smaller ones. This is a great way to both stretch your beef budget and make this a healthier meal. 

Ingredients

1 lbs 10oz or 740g top sirloin beef

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup or 31g all-purpose flour

Olive oil

3 slices thick-cut bacon, (about 4 oz or 115g) 

2 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 7 1/4 oz or 205g)

3 celery stalks (about 3 1/2 oz or 100g)

1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 9 1/3 oz or 265g)

1 lb or 450g fresh baby bella mushrooms, cleaned

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 cup or 240ml dry red wine plus extra for the cook

2 cups or 480ml beef broth

For a slurry to thicken the sauce:

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

Fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Method

Trim the fat and gristle off of the beef and discard. Cut the meat into small chunks. Sprinkle the chunks liberally with fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Peel the onion and carrots. Finely chop the onion and celery stalks. Cut the carrot into chunks. 

Trim any hard stems off of the mushrooms and quarter the larger ones. Halve the smaller ones.

Sprinkle the seasoned beef with some of the flour. I have a small sieve I use for this purpose and it works really well to get even coverage. Toss the beef pieces around a little and keep sprinkling the flour on until the beef is evenly coated. 

Set your Instant Pot to sauté mode adjusted to medium heat (the middle light). Fry the bacon in the pot until it is crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon to a plate and set aside.

Add the cubed chuck to your Instant pot in batches so that you don't overcrowd the pot, and sear it for 3-4 minutes, using tongs to turn the meat and sear all sides.

When the brown crust is formed, it will release from the Instant Pot so just be patient. Remove each batch of beef once seared. Set aside. I piled mine up on top of the bacon. 

Turn the Instant Pot off and add in the onions and celery. 

Let them sit without stirring for a few minutes. The residual heat from the sauté function will continue to cook them and when you do start stirring, you will be able to use a wooden spoon or spatula to free all the browned goodness from the bottom of the Instant Pot. 

Now turn the sauté function back on and set it to low. Continue to cook the celery and onion until they are softened, about five minutes. Add the beef chunks and the bacon back into the pot. Stir well to mix the vegetables and the beef. 

Pour in the stock and red wine. 

Add in the fresh thyme then the carrots. 

Now pile in the mushrooms. Do not stir! For optimum tenderness, we want to be sure the beef is completely covered by the stock and wine.

Cook on the stew setting under pressure for 35 minutes. When time is up, turn the Instant Pot off. Use a towel to cover the steam lever and carefully release the pressure. 

Remove the lid. Use a slotted spoon to remove the beef, carrots and mushrooms and put them in a large bowl. 

According the markings on the inside of the Instant Pot, you should have about 3 cups of liquid left in the pot. Cook on the sauté high setting for about 15-20 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by one third, that is to say you will have two cups left. 

Make a slurry of the cornstarch and cold water. Turn the Instant Pot off and whisk constantly as you pour the slurry in. Since the pot is still very hot, it should thicken right up. 

Add the beef, mushrooms and carrots back in and stir gently to coat them with the sauce. Have a taste and add a little fine sea salt and black pepper as needed. 

Serve with some extra thyme leaves for garnish, if desired. This is great over white rice or mashed potatoes. 

Enjoy!

It's MultiCooker Monday! Check out all the small appliance cooked dishes my friends are sharing today. Many thanks to our group leader and host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. 

• Air Fryer Salmon from Making Miracles
• Air Fryer Taquitos from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Beef and Mushroom Bourguignon - Instant Pot from Food Lust People Love
• Game Day Crockpot Frozen Chicken Breasts from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Nepali Style Vegetable Pulao-Pressure Cooker from Sneha's Recipe
• Port Braised Short Ribs (Instant Pot) from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pumpkin Pie Spiced Vegan Pumpkin and Green Gram Curry from Magical Ingredients
• Southern Style Green Beans (Instant Pot) from Palatable Pastime

Multicooker Monday is a blogger group created by Sue of Palatable Pastime for all of us who need encouragement to make better use of our small appliances like slow cookers, Instant Pots, Air Fryers, rice cookers and sous vide machines. We get together every third Monday of the month to share our recipes. If you are a food blogger who would like to post with us, please request to join our Facebook group. 

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