Rabbit in a Mushroom and Mustard Sauce
Sometimes coming across a special ingredient will trigger a culinary flashback. The same way an aroma will remind you of a place, a perfume of a person, so too can a dish transport you to a dining room halfway around the world. Coming across farm-raised rabbit reminded me of a luscious dish my Grandmother Geneviéve used to make—Lapin a la Moutarde. It was a crème fraiche and mustard sauce-laden masterpiece. I would pray she would make it each time I was lucky enough to visit her.
My uncle and I once battled over who would clear away the platter, containing the last of this succulent sauce, made even more delicious when you could mop it up surreptitiously with a piece of baguette in the kitchen. We got caught, of course—my grandmother walked in on us just as we were about to pop that perfect morsel of fresh bread, dripping with this unctuous crème in our mouths. She raised a disapproving eyebrow at me, “Pascale!” But it was that good.
Rabbit in a Mushroom and Mustard Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 or 3 whole rabbits, depending on the size, each cut into 6 pieces
- 1 cup Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 1½ pounds crimini, or button mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 8 shallots, peeled and quartered
- ⅓ cup crème fraiche
- Minced chives and parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Place all the rabbit pieces in a large bowl. Spoon 2⁄3 cup of the mustard into the bowl and coat all of the rabbit pieces thoroughly with mustard. Add a little salt and pepper and toss the pieces again. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Pour a little olive oil and a tablespoon of butter into a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan placed over medium heat. Stir until the butter foams and then sauté the rabbit pieces until they are browned and golden on all sides. This will take 8–10 minutes per side.
- When all the pieces are browned, pour 4 cups of the chicken stock into the pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for a further 25 minutes turning the pieces once or twice during the process.
- Place 2 tablespoons butter in a separate pan placed over medium heat. Add in the shallots and cook for 3–4 minutes. Add in the sliced mushrooms and cook for 4–5 minutes so that they are golden brown. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and set aside.
- When the rabbit is cooked, remove the pieces from the pan and place them on a warm serving dish in the oven to keep warm whilst you finish the sauce. In a small bowl pour the remaining chicken stock, the remaining mustard and all the crème fraiche. Whisk vigorously so that it is well combined and smooth in consistency. Pour this mustard mixture into the sauté pan holding the cooking juices from the rabbit and bring it a simmer. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the pan, getting all those good bits and pieces! The sauce will thicken as you cook it. Add the cooked mushroom slices to the sauce, stir well and then return the rabbit pieces to the pan and then turn them over once or twice to coat them in the sauce.
- Check the seasonings, sprinkle with chives and parsley and serve immediately.
