Anyone for Rabbit?

Question

so i'm married to an aussie fellow who loves rabbit. we can buy fresh rabbit here for a reasonable price. the rabbit we ate in France was perfect, moist and flavorful. but so far i haven't found the recipe that delivers the proper technique for a juicy, flavorful outcome. i know it's a super lean meat that doesn't have much flavor on it's own. for as much as i've experimented, all of my attempts to make it have turned out dry and tasteless. does any one have reliable technique for a moist and taste-y rabbit?

Answer

sounds great, dagwood. what do you do (specifically)? i'm a little short on info here.

Answer

Agree that braising is the safest way to go. Also, when browning rabbit, it's important to do so over low or medium heat. Unlike chicken, it doesn't have skin to protect it or subcutaneous fat to moisten it, so cooking over high heat dries out the meat and makes it stringy. Similarly, it should be braised at the lowest possible simmer and not overcooked. Marinating and braising in an acidic liquid will help tenderize it, and adding fat -- in the form of salt pork, bacon or cream, for example -- will help keep it moist.

Answer

Rabbit in sour cream is a very traditional Russian dish and my mom makes it best. From what I remember, she soaks the rabbit in cold water with a little vinegar for an hour or 2. She then coats the pices in flour and sautees them until golden brown (may take a while for rabbit meat). She removes the pieces to a warm plate, and sautees some onions until pale and translucent. You can add a bit of butter at that point and 1 or 2 tbsp of flour and just let the flour get a bit of color. Then add water or chicken stock and let it come to a boil. Salt, pepper (bay leaf, if you like). Return rabbit pieces to the sauce, cover and let it simmer on very low heat (or in a low oven) for about an hour or until meat is tender enough to separate easily from the bone. At the end of cooking add 1/2 to a 1 cup of sour cream and heat through (don't boil). Serve with pasta or potatoes.

Answer

Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1 has a wonderful braised rabbit recipe. It's the only one I ever make. Everything else tastes - well - awful.
I don't have the book in front of me but the rabbit is marinated in red wine and herbs....classic.

Answer

Rabbit in mustard sauce is a French classic which I love. Also Patricia Wells has a recipe for a rabbit and hazlenut terrine in her book Bistro Cooking - also very good. A friend makes a Normandy recipe which is rabbit braised in cider with bacon, mushrooms and shallots, finished with cream which is absolutely delicious. I made rabbit stifado once too, which we enjoyed. As others have said, braising is the way to go to ensure your bunny is tender.

Answer

Being a "Burgundy-Girl" at heart, I love the Burgundy-style rabbit. However, we also like hot peppers, so they're in here, too. You'll love it!

Burgundy-Style Rabbit, My Way
The “My Way” in the title concerns the several peppers in the recipe (which are VERY Creole). Burgundians wouldn¹t make it so spicy, but we like it like that!
makes 6 servings
6 ounces red onion finely chopped
6 ounces green pepper finely chopped
6 ounces celery finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 3-pound rabbit cut into 6 pieces
¾ cup flour
2 ½ teaspoons sea salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¼ teaspoon mace
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon crushed brown mustard seed
2 cups red wine (such as Côtes du Rhône)
1 cup water
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup Cognac
1 basket pearl onions

1. Dredge rabbit pieces in flour mixture. Heat the olive oil in a deep-sided sauté pan. Sear rabbit on all sides to brown very well. Remove from pan and keep warm.
2. Sauté vegetables in the same oil until soft.

3. Blend the mustard and crushed seeds into the chicken stock. Add all the liquid to the pan. Add the salt and crushed red pepper. Return the rabbit to the pan. Cover tightly and allow to braise for 1 hour, or until very tender.

4. Remove rabbit from pan. Raise heat and cook liquid down to one half. Purée vegetables in sauce in a food processor fitted with the metal blade.

5. Return sauce to pan and add ¼ cup cognac. Add 1 basket of pearl onions (peeled and trimmed) and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until onions are tender. Return rabbit pieces to sauce to reheat and coat well with the sauce.

Serve with buttered noodles or mashed potatoes to sop up all the delicious sauce.
Wine Tip: I like to serve a luscious red Burgundy with this, such as a Nuits-St. George.

Answer

I really like rabbit--we grew our own when I was a kid. It is super lean and a super efficient form of protein; the environmental/raising costs are very low compared to other meats, if you want encouragement to eat more bunny.

I think you got some good reccs for braising, but may I suggest my family's favorite preparation: Fried Rabbit. We fry it the same way as my mother fries chicken--let me know if you want a recipe, but I think any shallow-fried chicken recipe will work. Maybe the deep fried versions will work, too; I have never tried them, being happy with the regular version.

Man, now I want some!

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Rabbit is a traditional ingredient in paella. I think that would be spectacular.

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mince it and make Bunny Burgers. 

**nostalgic sigh**

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i have had the classic French preparation of rabbit in mustard sauce, the recipe was in Saveur several years ago. It was quite fine. We do have a local rabbit farmer and I made a rabit terrine for a Slow Foods meeting a couple of years ago using a recipe from Bouchon. It was excellent.

Answer

Now that you've receieved enough advice on technique, I need only chime in with flavour suggestions! For braising, crush two handfuls of seedless grapes, and about the same volume whole grapes, a few sprigs of tarragon, and white wine. Serve over egg noodles. (The flour in which the pieces were dredged should be enough to thicken the braising liquid.)

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I should also note that rabbit liver is hands down the finest liver (even over calf liver, in my opinion). So be sure to get rabbit with its giblets....

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Julia does a good braised rabbit and leek casserole in '....& Company". She tops it with an herbed biscuit topping. So very good.

http://www.amazon.com/Julia-Child-Company/dp/0394502000

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I recently made Braised Rabbit with White Wine, Shallots, Rosemary, and Cream from "Roast Chicken and Other Stories" by Simon Hopkinson for Cookbook of the Month and reported on it here, with photos: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/505162#3620687

It was the first time I'd ever cooked rabbit and wasn't completely sold on it (partially because of the expense), but the sauce was marvelous and it's a recipe I'd definitely make again--although probably with chicken thighs.

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