Preparing snails

A recipe from France: The Cookbook

Preparation: 20 minutes plus 1 week fasting of the snails

Cooking: 2 hours

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

salt mixed with flour and a dash of white wine vinegar

well-seasoned court-bouillon with white wine

stuffing for snails

Method:

Fast the snails for a week, then purge them by feeding them salt mixed with flour and a dash of white wine vinegar.

Wash them carefully and blanch in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Take each snail out of its shell and remove the black part of the tail.

Wash the snails again in plenty of water, then boil them for 2 hours in a well-seasoned court-bouillon with white wine.

Leave to cool in the liquid. Wash each shell carefully and drain on a napkin. Make the stuffing (see below).

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.

Put a little stuffing in each shell, replace the snail and add more stuffing.

Place the snails in a snail dish and bake in the oven for 8 minutes.