Rabbit Braised With Mustard Cream And Prunes Food

WHITE WINE-BRAISED RABBIT WITH MUSTARD

Steps:

• Lay rabbit pieces on a baking sheet and season each piece generously with salt and pepper. (If you are using a pepper mill, adjust it for coarse grind.)
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Put a deep, heavy-bottomed, oven-safe saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add lard or oil.
• Put 1 cup flour on a wide plate. Dip seasoned rabbit pieces in flour and dust off excess. Gently set them in the hot oil in one layer without crowding; work in batches if necessary. Adjust heat to keep them from browning too quickly. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side until nicely browned.
• Remove browned rabbit from pan and set aside. Add diced onion to fat remaining in pan. Keep heat brisk and cook onions until softened and lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle onions with 2 tablespoons flour and stir until well incorporated, then cook for a minute or so, until mixture starts to smell toasty. Add wine and 1 cup broth, whisking as the sauce thickens. Whisk in remaining broth and the whole-grain mustard and bring to a simmer. Taste for salt and adjust.
• Return browned rabbit pieces to the sauce. Add thyme and sage. Cover pot and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until meat is fork tender. (Alternatively, simmer over low heat, covered, on the stove top, for about the same amount of time.)
• Using tongs, remove rabbit pieces from sauce, set aside, and keep warm. Put saucepan over medium heat and bring contents to a simmer. Whisk in crème fraîche, Dijon mustard and capers and simmer until somewhat thickened, about 5 minutes. Taste sauce and adjust.
• Transfer rabbit to a warmed serving bowl and ladle the sauce over. Sprinkle generously with chives and a little freshly ground pepper. Accompany with noodles if desired.

RABBIT AND PRUNE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Put the prunes in a small saucepan and pour in the brandy. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, turning the prunes regularly, then set aside.
• Melt half the butter with the oil in a large frying pan. Season the rabbit all over and fry in batches for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Transfer the rabbit to a large flameproof casserole dish.
• Fry the bacon in the same pan for 4-5 minutes, or until the fat is crisp, adding a little extra oil if necessary. Scatter it over the rabbit. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
• Melt the remaining butter in the frying pan and gently fry the shallots for 5-6 minutes, or until softened, stirring regularly.
• Stir the flour into the pan and cook for a few seconds before slowly adding the wine and half the stock, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens. Add the mustards, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a gentle simmer and season with a little salt and lots of pepper. Carefully pour the stock mixture into the casserole dish, along with the remaining stock, and bring everything to a simmer.
• Remove the casserole dish from the heat, cover with greaseproof paper and put the lid on. Bake for 1½-2 hours, or until the meat is very tender, contains no trace of pink and is starting to fall off the bone. Test the rabbit with a knife; if it doesn't slide in easily, return the casserole to the oven.
• Place the casserole back on the hob, remove the lid and stir in the cream, prunes and brandy. Simmer gently for a few minutes, until the prunes are hot, stirring carefully so the rabbit doesn't completely fall apart. Adjust the seasoning if needed, scatter with the parsley and serve with bread or Gruyère croutons.

RABBIT BRAISED WITH MUSTARD, CREAM AND PRUNES

Steps:

• Cut rabbit into serving pieces, or have your butcher do this for you.
• Dust rabbit pieces with seasoned flour, shaking off excess.
• Heat the oil in a heavy-based flame proof casserole over medium heat.
• Add rabbit in batches and brown all over.
• Remove rabbit then add butter, bacon and shallots and cook for 6-8 minutes or until soft.
• Add white wine and cook until nearly evaporated.
• Add stock, mustard, bay-leaves, thyme and cream, season lightly, mix well.
• Add rabbit and stir to coat.
• Bring to the boil, cover and cook in 170c oven for 1 hour.
• Add prunes to casserole and cook for a further 30-45 minutes or until rabbit is tender.

RABBIT WITH MUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Finely chop onion. Pat rabbit pieces dry and season with salt and pepper. In a deep large heavy skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and brown rabbit pieces on all sides in 2 batches. Transfer rabbit as browned to a large bowl.
• In skillet cook onion in 1 tablespoon butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add wine and boil until liquid is reduced by about half. Return rabbit to skillet and add broth. Simmer rabbit, covered, until tender, about 40 minutes.
• Transfer rabbit to cleaned large bowl and boil sauce until reduced to about 2 cups. In a small bowl whisk together 1/4 cup sauce and mustard and whisk mixture into sauce. In another small bowl stir cornstarch into 1 tablespoon cold water and whisk into sauce. Simmer sauce, whisking, 3 minutes, or until thickened. Whisk in remaining tablespoon butter, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Return rabbit to skillet and cook over moderately low heat, turning rabbit to coat with sauce, until heated through.

BRAISED RABBIT WITH GRAINY MUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Rinse rabbit pieces and remove any fat, then pat dry and divide into 3 batches. Mix together salt and pepper in a small bowl for seasoning rabbit.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Heat a dry 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot. Season first batch of rabbit, then add 3 tablespoons oil to skillet and brown rabbit on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer browned rabbit to a flameproof roasting pan just large enough to hold all 3 batches in 1 layer. Season and brown remaining 2 batches of rabbit in same manner, transferring to roasting pan and adding more oil to skillet between batches if necessary. Reserve skillet.
• Add broth to roasting pan, then cover pan tightly with foil and braise rabbit in oven 15 minutes.
• While rabbit is braising, pour off any fat from skillet, then add onions, garlic, thyme, and 3 tablespoons butter and cook over moderately low heat, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add wine and boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
• Pour mixture over rabbit and continue to braise, covered tightly, until rabbit is tender when pierced with a fork, 45 minutes to 1 hour more. Transfer rabbit to an ovenproof serving dish and keep warm, covered loosely with foil, in turned-off oven.
• Straddle roasting pan over 2 burners and boil braising liquid until reduced to about 3 1/4 cups, about 10 minutes. Transfer 1/2 cup reduced liquid to a bowl and whisk in mustards. Add mustard mixture to reduced liquid in pan, whisking to incorporate. Dissolve cornstarch in water and whisk into sauce, then simmer, whisking, 2 minutes. Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter to sauce and swirl pan until incorporated. Season sauce with salt and pepper and pour over rabbit.
• *Available at butcher shops, specialty foods shops, and some supermarkets (may require special order).

RABBIT IN MUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Rub the mustard all over the rabbit. Let stand for 3 hours. About 15 minutes before rabbit is ready, saute the bacon in a large, deep skillet until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Wipe the mustard off of the rabbit. Toss with the flour. Add the butter to the pan. Working in 2 batches, saute rabbit pieces until golden on both sides, about 8 minutes for each batch. Remove rabbit from pan and set aside.
• Pour the wine into the pan. Over medium-high heat, simmer while scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Add the chicken broth, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Add the rabbit. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat so that liquid barely simmers. Cook until rabbit is tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes, skimming top as necessary.
• Remove rabbit from pan. Increase heat. Simmer sauce until thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in cream. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Stir in salt and pepper. Remove bay leaf. Return rabbit to the pan. Stir in parsley. Serve with noodles.

MUSTARDY BRAISED RABBIT WITH CARROTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Tie thyme, rosemary and clove in a spice sachet or square of cheesecloth (or just toss them in pot if you do not mind accidentally biting into clove later).
• Season rabbit pieces all over with salt and pepper. Coat each piece evenly with flour; tap off excess. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large oven-proof Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear rabbit in batches, until browned all over, 5 to 6 minutes a side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
• Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pot; reduce heat to medium. Add leeks and 2 tablespoons sage and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the carrots, celery, garlic, coriander, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until vegetables begin to color, about 5 minutes.
• Add wine and increase heat to high; simmer, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Return rabbit to pot. Add stock (it should come almost halfway up the sides of rabbit) and herb sachet (or herbs and clove). Transfer pot to oven and cook, partially covered, until meat is fork tender, about 2 hours.
• Transfer rabbit pieces to a serving platter. If liquid seems too thin, place pot over medium-high heat and simmer until it thickens slightly. Discard sachet. Stir in mustard, to taste. Spoon sauce and vegetables over rabbit. Garnish with parsley and remaining 1 tablespoon chopped sage. Serve with noodles, if desired.