Escargot-stuffed Mushroom Caps

I recently got turned onto these delicious bites, and it was love at first whiff. Well, not exactly. Escargot in a can, not so delicious smelling. But after you soak them in water, saute them in butter with garlic and scallions and stuff them into mushroom caps?... oh my. It's love all the way!

I'm not sure how it is in the States, but right next to the cans of escargot are little seasoning packets. I love the packets because it takes the escargots to an entirely new level of yum, but I'll provide spice suggestions just in case.

The first time the BF and I ate these with ribeye steaks and asparagus, and we were stuffed because it was so delicious but it was definitely too much food.The next time we had these, we just had asparagus on the side and it was perfect.


Makes  4 appetizers or 2 large sides.



Ingredients:

• 1 can escargot
• 3 cloves garlic
• 12 mushrooms, white or brown
• 1 scallion
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup white wine
• 3 tablespoons cream cheese
• Escargot seasoning packet
  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Open the can of escargot and rinse them thoroughly. Place them in a bowl, then cover with water. Let sit for 5 minutes (or more!) before you start preparing the rest of the dish.
   
2. Prepare the mushrooms for stuffing by cleaning them (wet a paper towel and rub them down) and then removing the stems. The easiest way to do this is to "pop" them out by pinching the stem as close as possible to the cap, then twisting your hand to pop out the stem like you would a cork in a bottle. You can also peel the caps if you're feeling wild. Place them in a lightly greased baking dish gill-side up.
   
3. Finely chop the garlic and scallion. In a large saute pan melt the butter over medium-low heat, then add the garlic and scallion. Cook for 3-5 minutes, then add the escargots and wine. Turn the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. 
4. Add the cream cheese and the spice packet (or the desired spices, see suggestions below) and increase the heat again to medium-high. Cook for 10 minutes, until the wine-cheese mixture has reduced and thickened up. 
5. Spoon the escargots into the prepared mushroom caps and top with parmesan (about 2-3 escargots per mushroom). Bake for 15-20 minutes and serve hot. 

Enjoy! 



Seasoning suggestions:

• Garlic powder, parsley, lemon juice
• Paprika, rosemary, thyme
• Garlic powder, cayenne powder, cilantro