Recipe: Escargots à l'Alsacienne

Snails à l'alsacienne is a festive starter, the one you bring out when you have guests on Saturday night or at Christmas. Historically, the region made the masterstroke: star anise and cumin instead of Mediterranean herbs, a dry white wine from the local vintage. It goes way back, to the bourgeois dinners of Strasbourg and Colmar. It's mainly a winter and autumn dish, when snails are well-fed and Alsatian white wines come out of cellars. Sylvaner, precisely, is a dry white, nervous, perfect for a reduction that will stick to snail flesh without weighing it down. For wines, you stay in Alsace: a Sylvaner or a dry Riesling is obvious. If you prefer to leave the region, a Sancerre or Chablis does the job. The acidity of white wine cuts through the richness of the composed butter. For accompaniment, serve with toasted rye bread or a slice of pure buttered white bread. Count six snails per person, no more. It's rich, it's generous, it sticks to your ribs.