National Escargot Day

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A man walks into a Cadillac dealer and buys a car...but before he gets it delivered,

he asks the salesman to put a large 'S' on the doors and roof.

"What do you want an 'S' on the doors and roof of a Cadillac for?"

The man replies: so as I pass people on the freeway they can say: "Look at that 'S' car go!"

By Diane Forrest

I remember watching the movie Pretty Women, with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts.  On her first evening out, he takes her to a business dinner at a fancy restaurant.  For the appetizer they are served escargot.  Julia picks up one with a special tool, and before she can grasp it, the critter flies from her hands, across the room, and is expertly caught by the waiting attendant.  She exclaims, "slippery little suckers" and he replies, it happens all the time.  In fact the same waiter or actor who played the waiter, Allan Kent also caught something accidently tossed by Anne Hathaway in the Princess Diaries.

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Today is National Escargot Day.  Escargot is French for snails.  They are removed from their shells, cooked, the replaced in their shells and served.  They are appetizers, served in French restaurants.  Escargot can be considered a healthy food because snails are high in protein and very low in fat. However, not all species of snails are edible and the taste of the snails vary among species.

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If you have never tried them before, below is a recipe from cooks.com.  Instead of placing them in shells, this recipe calls for stuffing them in mushroom caps.  Why not try your hand and your palate at some escargot today.

ESCARGOT

• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp. chopped shallots
• 2 lg. cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 can escargot
• Mushroom caps

Rinse escargot: pat dry. Mix first 4 ingredients. Place 1 mushroom cap in bottom of escargot cup dish. Add 1 tsp. of butter mixture and escargot. Add butter and escargot until all escargot are used. End with butter mixture. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 to 20 minutes or until butter bubbles. Serve with thick slices of crusty French bread.

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