Snail Porridge ala Heston Blumenthal

I can take no credit for this dish, except where I deviate. The genius behind the combination is Heston Blumenthal, and it goes without saying that my changes would have never been possible had he not put the two together.

16 Snails (usually 1.5doz in a can)
2.25 C of Oats, sifted
6 oz unsalted sweet cream butter
1.5 C chopped parsley
4 Cloves Garlic
3 pearl onions, small dice
5 slices of prosciutto (basically, 1 package of the pre-sliced, or about 1/4 pound)
3 Leeks
2 C Chicken stock
Caviar
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Serves 4.

To prepare the snails:
Clean the snails. There will be a sack of grey goo; squeeze it out, and rinse the solution that they were preserved in. Take one slice of proscuitto, mince it, and place it in a pot with about 2 oz (half a stick) of butter. Throw in the parsley, onions, and 3 garlic cloves. Cook for about 10 mins, then add the rest of the butter. Have it cook, simmering over medium heat, for about 30 mins. At the halfway point I added some fantastic Greek olive oil, a splash (~tblspoon), just to get a bit different flavor out of the snails.

To prepare the porridge:
Heat the chicken stock with a pinch of salt, pinch of pepper, and the last garlic clove, over medium high heat, until it starts to boil. Throw in the oats, and keep incorporating the oats into the stock. You won't have enough liquid, but don't worry. When the snails are down, drain the entire pot of snails right into the porridge. Pluck the snails out of the sifter or colander, and take all of that goodness in there and put it into the porridge as well. Always keep incorporating; if it's too thick, add either chicken stock or water slowly. I like it thick, almost like a risotto.

To prepare the leeks:
Take your leeks, clean them, cut off the end and the flowers/leaves, and throw them in a pot of boiling, salted water. Boil for about 5 minutes, then blanch them in cold water. In a pan with a tblspoon of olive oil, saute the leeks, but be weary of their structure. You don't want them to disintegrate, you want them to keep that nice, long look. When they are done sauteing, you want to cut them, long-wise, into thirds.

For the presentation:
I have two favorite presentations. With both, start with a decent spoonful of porridge in the center of the plate; I presume it's about 3/4 of a cup or so. Now take a few pieces of leek, and place it on top of the porridge, almost like a bed of vegetation. Alternatively, you can place one leek to the side, and one leek in the center of the porridge. Place 4 snails on top of the porridge; either directly on the leeks or around the centered leek (which ever presentation you prefer). Slice the remaining prosciutto in half, and roll up the halves to resemble a horn/cornucopia shape. You want to ease the smaller end into the snail shell; for the presentation with the bed of leek, simply add this to the top of the snails. Add another leek to the side of the porridge, and place a dab of caviar at the end. Sprinkle with parsley, or use bigger leaves and place dabs of caviar in the middle. For the second presentation, with the leek in the middle of the porridge, the ham can be placed to the side of the porridge, with it overlapping the edge, big open end of the cone facing up. For the caviar, place a spoonful on the side of the dish, and add a shell to make it appear like another snail.

While this dish is much simpler than Blumenthal's original, it incorporates the original spirit and contrasts that his has, while adding my own bits and different ideas. Enjoy.