Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Rabbit

Since I posted a Passover recipe, I figure why not something for Easter, too? So, here we have Rabbit Liver Pancakes with rillettes, apples, and spicy buttermilk sauce:

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Ingredients:


Rillettes:
1 tbl fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
5 lbs pounds rabbit, cleaned and chopped
- note: rabbits won't come in perfect 5 lb sizes. Get a rabbit, make up the rest of the weight with pork butt
24 ounces duck fat (can subtitute lard, but it's not as good)
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp thyme leaves, chopped

Spicy Buttermilk Sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 roasted, peeled, and seeded serrano pepper

Spicy Applesauce:
3 cups 1/4-inch dice Granny Smith apples, peel on
1 Granny Smith, peeled
cayenne pepper to taste (a pinch to 1/4 tsp)
1/8 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 clove
1 bay leaf
1 inch cinnamon stick

Rabbit Liver Pancakes:
8 ounces rabbit liver (optional: use duck or chicken liver instead)
3/4 cups cornmeal
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tbl sugar
1 cups buttermilk
2 eggs

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Method:

I. Rabbit Rillettes:

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. In a large bowl combine black pepper, salt, cayenne, mustard, pepper flakes, thyme, bay leaves, and nutmeg. Add rabbit and pork butt and toss to coat. Set aside for an hour to come to temperature.

In a large, heavy saucepan or stockpot, melt a few tablespoons of duck fat over medium-high and sear the rabbit and pork until just browned. Add remaining fat and chicken stock, bring to a boil, then turn off heat. Cover and place in the oven for five hours.

Remove and transfer the meat to a sheet pan to cool. Transfer the remaining stock and fat through a fine-mesh strainer into a new container and allow to settle.

Shred the rabbit (and pork) roughly by hand or fork into small bits, throwing out the bones. Mix in fresh thyme. Add back the duck fat, which will have risen to the top, a little at a time, until you have a rough paste. Pack into a jar or plastic container, covering the top with more fat, and refrigerate until ready to use.

(Note: You'd be crazy not to save the remaining fat and stock for other uses. Just put it in the refrigerator until the fat solidifies, then seperate them. Store, well-sealed, in the freezer. The stock will be like a rabbit demi-glace, great for boosting other sauces with.)

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II. Spicy Buttermilk Sauce:

Blend all ingredients until well combined. Refrigerate.

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III. Spicy Applesauce:

Note: don't peel the second apple until ready to use, or it will brown.

Combine everything but the peeled apples over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the apples are falling apart and the mixture has reduced by half. Remove from heat. Remove and discard the bay leaf, clove, and cinnamon. Once cool, peel and dice (unevenly, 1/4-inch or so) the fresh apple and incorporate. Refrigerate until ready to use.

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IV. Pancakes:

Sear the livers briefly, being careful not to overcook, then dice very small and set aside with any rendered fat.

Mix the dry ingredients together. In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Then mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. It's pancakes, you know how this works. Don't overmix. Fold in the liver bits and any collected fat.

Griddle in a non-stick pan with a pat of butter until they're golden.

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V. Serve

Place a pancake (or two, depending how big you made them) on a plate, then a scoop of rilletes on each. Put a mound of applesauce on there, and zigzag the plate with the buttermilk sauce. If you're having this for breakfast, add a fried egg and maybe some roasted poblano strips.

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