Snails

Although there are hundreds of varieties of land snails, most require careful cleaning and a long preliminary cooking in court-bouillon. Rarely is their cooking liquid converted into a sauce; instead, they are almost always served with a nonintegral sauce, such as garlic-and-parsley butter or a lightly creamed mushroom duxelles. The miniature sea snails (periwinkles) popular in Europe are rarely eaten in the United States, although they are beginning to catch on. Periwinkles cook in about 10 minutes. A popular method for preparing an integral sauce is to simmer the snails in a nage and serve them with the cooking liquid with lots of crusty bread. Any of the methods used to finish court-bouillon—with butter, vinaigrette, mustard, herbs—can also be used.