There's something about a Royal Caribbean cruise that compels people to try new things. Some may tackle trying to stand up on the Flowrider, others may try to get into the Love and Marriage game show. Personally, I like to try new foods and it's because of a Royal Caribbean cruise that I joined so many others in indulging (and liking) the escargot.
Escargot, better known as cooked snails, is a delicacy that sounds down right awful but escargot on Royal Caribbean has become a real staple appetizer in the main dining room. I think a lot of people order it as a goof (it doesn't cost anything extra to try) and after the giggles supside, these same people coming away actually enjoying it.
The menu describes the escargots bourguignonne as, "tender snails drenched in melted garlic-herb butter." Drenched is the right word because they come in a serving plate soaked in the salty butter sauce. There's so much butter and it's so salty that it's hard to really taste the actual snail. And if you eat it with bread, well, you probably won't even feel the texture.
Escargot has become a staple appetizer that I order everytime I can, although in the last 6-9 months, there's been a "world wide shortage" of escargot so scallops have been offered instead. However, if you happen to see escargot as an option on your next Royal Caribbean cruise, laugh all you want but you really should order it for a high-class tasty snack!
Escargot Recipe
Garlic Butter
2 TBS Chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves Garlic, finely minced
1/2 tea Dijon Mustard
Freshly Ground White Pepper To Taste
1 1/2 Sticks Unsalted Butter, softened
1/2 tea Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tea Cognac
Escargots
24 Cannned snails, drained
1 Medium Shallot finely chopped
1 TBS Dry Sherry
Salt to taste
French Baguette Slices
1. For the garlic butter: in a food processor, combine the parsley, garlic, and mustard. Season with white pepper. Process for 1 minute. Add a stick butter, the worcestershire sauce and cognac, and process for 2 minutes. Transfer the butter mixture to a small bowl and set aside.
2. For the snails, rinse the snails in a small colander under cold running water. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. In a saute pan, heat the remaining 1/2 stick butter ove medium heat. Add Shallot and cook, stirring until softened, and translucent. Add the snails and saute until completely heated through about one minute. Stir in the sherry and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 400F. Transfer the snails to shells or to snail plates (if using the shells, divide them among 4 ovenproof dishes). Cover each snail completely with the reserved butter mixture.
4. Bake for a few minutes, or just until the snails are hot and the butter is completely melted and brown on top (do not overbake or the flavor of the butter will be compromised). Serve immediatley with the slices of the French baguette for dipping.
