There are a couple of things that we almost always order at restaurants when we’re traveling if we happen to find them on the menu. One of them is escargot, which not everyone enjoys, but it is certainly a favorite of ours. Occasionally they are served in their shells, but often they are served on a special baking dish specifically designed to nestle the escargot in their own little cavity. We have had them in many different locations throughout Europe where they are more popular than they are here in the United States.
Escargot at a French BistroCheese Covered Escargot
The most traditional way to have them is baked in butter with lots of garlic and herbs. As good as the actual snail is to eat, the real treat is dunking bread into each of the little holes to soak up the garlic butter. It is a little decadent, but well worth the calories. On a couple of occasions we had them where they were covered in cheese as well, which we found to be an interesting take on them.
Snails and Potato CakesGruyere Covered Snails for an Extra Cheesy Treat
Since we don’t always find them on menus, when we do it is almost a guarantee that we will order them. It isn’t something that we’ve ever cooked for ourselves, but that doesn’t mean that we wouldn’t try it in the future. For those that have never tried escargot, we would highly recommend that you don’t let the thought of eating a snail deter you from trying this delicacy.
This is a simple dinner, but that doesn’t make it any less delicious. Despite the cheese, it actually isn’t as decadent as it might sound. As with many meals such as this, leftovers can be even better than it was on the first night. We cheated a little on making our tomato sauce, but you could certainly make the entire thing from scratch. Garlic bread can be an excellent accompaniment to this rich and creamy meal. The nice thing about this meal is that it can be adjusted for a large family or gathering as easily as it was to adjust it for just the two of us. We’ve provided the recipe for our full batch of tomato and meat sauce, but it too could be scaled down if you wanted just enough for the shells. We just prefer to make enough to freeze for spaghetti with meat sauce or other recipes later. It isn’t always easy to find meals that work for a couple or an individual, so these gems are perfect go-to meals when you don’t need to cook for a large group.
Stuffed Shells with Garlic Bread
Ingredients
1 lb Lean Ground Beef (or ground meat of your choice)
24 oz Jar of Spaghetti Sauce (whatever brand you prefer)
2 – 15 oz Cans of Diced Tomatoes
2 – 15 oz Cans of Tomato Sauce
3 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tbsp Oregano
2 1/2 tsp Granulated Garlic Powder
1 tsp Granulated Sugar
14 Large Shells – cooked to package directions
1 and 1/3 cups Ricotta Cheese
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese – shredded
1/4 cup + 1/8 cup Parmesan Cheese – finely shredded
1 Large Egg – beaten
Salt and Pepper to taste
Stuffed Shells with Tomato and Meat Sauce
Instructions
In a large saucepan, add the ground beef, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, salt and pepper. Brown the ground beef over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked. Add to the saucepan the spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, and the granulated sugar. Stir to combine ingredients, bring to a boil, and simmer for 1 to 3 hours (cooking the day before and letting sit will let the flavors intensify). Cook the shells according to package directions, drain, and let cool to room temperature. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, 2/3 of a cup of mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, and half of the beaten egg, and mix thoroughly. Pre-heat an oven to 350 degrees. Cover the bottom of a small baking dish with enough tomato and meat sauce to thoroughly cover the bottom of the dish. Stuff each shell with about 3 tablespoons of the cheese mixture, enough to fill each shell without over filling them. Place the shells into the baking dish on top of the sauce mixture. Spoon more of the meat sauce over top of the shells and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil (spray the bottom of the foil with some cooking spray so that the cheese doesn’t stick). Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and then remove the foil. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes until the sauce is bubbling. Plate and serve with garlic toast.
We love duck, but it isn’t the easiest thing to prepare and have it turn out to be moist and tender. After doing some research, we found that either simmering or steaming the duck, prior to roasting it, renders out the fat and produces a moist duck with crispy skin. We decided to go with an Asian influenced recipe and the flavor couldn’t have been more delicious. It took a little work, but really wasn’t too difficult and well worth the effort. We adapted our recipe from one that we found from Tyler Florence, which called for the duck to be steamed and, based on the results, we’ll use this method every time going forward. This recipe turned out to be extremely tasty and one that we hope that you’ll enjoy.
Ingredients
1 Whole Duck (5 – 5 1/2 lbs)
1 tbsp Chinese Five-Spice Powder
2 tsp Granulated Sugar
2 tsp Salt
5 Large Slices of Fresh Ginger
3 to 4 Garlic Cloves
4 Green Onions
1 Tangerine Peel – cut into large strips
1/4 cup Rice Vinegar
1/2 cup Honey
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
Chinese Five-Spice, Sugar, and Salt
Aromatics
Instructions
Remove the giblets from the duck and cut away any excess fat from the neck and cavity area. Wash the duck inside and out and pat completely dry inside and out with paper towels. Combine the Chinese five-spice, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the spices over the entire duck, inside and out. Stuff the duck cavity with the aromatics, the ginger, garlic, green onions, and tangerine peel. Fold the wings under the back, this will keep the tips of the wings from burning. Tie the legs together with some kitchen string and then poke the skin of the breasts and thighs several times with a skewer or knife. This will allow the fat to escape as it renders as well as allow the seasonings to flavor the meat below.
Duck with Dry Rub and Aromatics
Tie the Legs and Tuck the Wings
Place the duck onto a rack, breast side up, and into a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with water until it is almost touching the bottom of the rack with the duck. Cover tightly with foil. Place the roasting pan over a large burner on the stove and turn the burner onto medium heat. Once the water starts to boil (you’ll have to listen to it or peek inside the foil), turn the burner down to low and steam the duck for 45 minutes, checking occasionally to see if you need to add water. Steaming the duck allows some of the fat to melt away and shrinks the skin.
Sweet and Savory Glaze
Simmering Glaze
While the duck is steaming, combine the vinegar, honey, and soy sauce in a small saucepan. Cook the glaze on low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly, then set aside. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the roasting pan from the burner and remove the foil. Remove the rack with the duck from the roasting pan and pour out almost all of the liquid, leaving about an eighth of an inch of liquid in the pan. Put the rack with the duck back into the pan and liberally brush the duck with the glaze, ensuring that the skin is well coated. Put the roasting pan with the duck into the oven and roast for 1 hour, basting periodically with the glaze.
