Rabbit Fricassée

Local, pastured rabbit in a sauce of game stock, shallots, mushrooms, thyme and fresh cream..

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Rabbit Fricassée

Break down a fresh rabbit by removing and splitting the leg quarters and removing the saddle, backbone and ribs and splitting the loin into 2 boneless halves.  Be sure to examine the liver- it should look and smell perfectly fresh and clean.  Clean kidneys and reserve with liver for another use (if you like liver, try frying rabbit liver & kidneys in butter and seasoning with plenty of salt and pepper- the taste is absolutely revelatory).

Lay the loins out on a cutting board.  Use a piece of wax paper and the flat side of a meat mallet to pound the loin into an even thickness.  Spread the loins with raw honey (heather, Tupelo or Guajillo work nicely) and season with fresh thyme, a little salt and black pepper.

Roll the loin up in lean, uncured bacon and secure with toothpicks about 1 1/2 inches apart.  Cut between the toothpicks to form little loin fillets.  Refrigerate.

Make a stock of the bones and trimmings, cold filtered water, celery, onions, carrots and garlic.  Bring to a boil, skim the scum, reduce heat and simmer 3-4 hours.

Poach the leg quarters in the stock until tender, about 1 hour.  Remove from stock and set aside.

Sauté the loin pieces in a little olive oil with minced shallots, mushrooms and garlic until browned, about 6 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Deglaze the pan with white vermouth and reduce.

Add stock and reduce.

Add fresh cream, thyme and homemade coarse mustard.  Add reserved loin and leg pieces and gently simmer until sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.  Adjust seasoning with sea salt and black pepper and serve.

This post is part of the Nourished Kitchen’s Clean Your Plate Recipe Challenge