Young Wild Rabbit (Lapereaux)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy sauté pan with a lid
• •Instant-read meat thermometer
• •Tongs
• •Wooden spoon
• •Small saucepan for clarifying butter

Instructions

1. 1

   Inspect and dry

   Confirm that the rabbits are genuinely young before beginning. The flesh should feel supple, and the little lentil-shaped bone beside the patella should remain distinct rather than shrunken into the joint. Trim away bruised tissue, wipe the pieces clean, and dry every surface thoroughly. Season with the salt and pepper, then leave the pieces at room temperature for 15 minutes while you prepare the pan.

   Wild game should come from a licensed dealer or a healthy, properly handled animal. Wear gloves while trimming raw wild rabbit, prevent contact with ready-to-eat food, and wash the board, knife, and hands thoroughly afterward.
2. 2

   Prepare the butter

   If the butter is not already clarified, melt 5 tablespoons gently in a small pan. Skim away the pale foam and pour the clear golden fat away from the milky sediment. Clarified butter gives the rabbit the flavor it deserves while tolerating the heat needed for real browning. Keep the remaining 3 tablespoons cubed and cold for finishing the sauce.

3. 3

   Brown the rabbit

   Dust the rabbit lightly with the flour and shake off every loose patch. Heat a broad, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the clarified butter, and brown the pieces in two batches, beginning with the legs. Give each piece room and leave it untouched until the underside is a deep hazelnut gold, then turn and color the other sides. Set each browned piece on a plate. If the fond begins to blacken, lower the heat and remove only the burnt specks with a damp paper towel, leaving the brown glaze behind. Ça se rattrape. Add a spoonful more clarified butter if the pan looks dry.

4. 4

   Build the reduction

   Pour away excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon and all the good brown fond. Add the shallots and cook over medium heat until softened but not colored, about 2 minutes. Pour in the white wine and scrape the pan floor thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Boil until the wine has reduced to about one-third of its original volume and smells rounded rather than sharp. Add 1¼ cups (300 ml / 300 g) of the stock and the bouquet garni, reserving the rest of the stock for adjustment.

5. 5

   Cook in stages

   Return the hind legs and forelegs to the pan, bring the liquid to the barest simmer, cover, and cook for 12 minutes. Add the saddle pieces, cover again, and continue gently for 12 to 18 minutes. Turn the pieces once and keep the liquid at a quiet tremble. The meat is ready when it feels tender at the joints and every piece reaches at least 160°F (71°C). If the legs remain rubbery, add some reserved stock, cover, and continue at the gentlest simmer until tender. The cooking becomes a longer braise, but dinner is saved.

6. 6

   Mount the sauce

   Transfer the rabbit to a warm serving dish and cover it loosely. Discard the bouquet garni, then boil the cooking liquid until it becomes nappant, thick enough to coat the back of a spoon while still flowing freely. If it tightens too far, loosen it with reserved stock. If it remains thin, reduce it before adding the butter. Take the pan completely off the heat and whisk in the cold butter one cube at a time. Should the sauce turn greasy or separate, whisk in 1 tablespoon of cold stock off the heat until it comes together. Ça se rattrape. Finish with the lemon juice and taste for salt.

7. 7

   Sauce and serve

   Spoon the glossy sauce over and around the rabbit, leaving some browned surfaces visible, then scatter with the chopped parsley. Bring the serving dish straight to the table with bread or buttered noodles for catching the sauce. Never apologize at your own table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask specifically for young wild rabbit, lapin de garenne, not merely rabbit. The little lentil-shaped bone beside the patella should still be distinct. Once it has diminished and fused into the joint, quick sautéing is the wrong grammar; that animal belongs in stock or forcemeat.
• •Farmed young rabbit can stand in when wild is unavailable, but the change is not invisible. It is milder, fleshier, and usually fattier, so begin checking the saddle a few minutes earlier and expect a gentler game flavor.
• •A dry, bright white wine is right here. Avoid heavily oaked or sweet bottles because reduction concentrates both sweetness and wood. Pour something modest that you would willingly drink with dinner.
• •The saddle cooks faster than the legs. Adding it later is the honest home equivalent of a brigade cook managing different pans, and it keeps the lean loin from drying while the joints become tender.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and keep them for up to 3 days. Reheat very gently with a spoonful of stock, then whisk in a small piece of cold butter off the heat to restore the sauce.

Advance Preparation

• •The rabbits may be jointed, trimmed, and kept covered in the refrigerator up to 1 day ahead. Dry them again immediately before seasoning and flouring.
• •The butter may be clarified several days ahead and refrigerated. Warm it only enough to liquefy before browning.
• •The dish is best finished just before serving. If necessary, cook the rabbit and reduce the sauce up to 1 hour ahead, then reheat gently and mount with the cold butter only at the last moment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)