Last night, have friends staying w/ us, I made dinner.
Rabbit in mustard sauce, duck confit, Vichy carrots, mashed potatoes.
I made the rabbit a little differently from the recipes I've seen, which usually involve baking. You paint the rabbit with Dijon mustard (thinned with a little white wine, as my jar was old). I browned the meat in olive oil and butter, then set it aside. Cooked minced onions (could be shallots) and garlic in the pan, then added white wine, rabbit stock (the torso of the rabbit, boiled in some chicken stock for a few hours), and more Dijon mustard. That got reduced for about 20 minutes, then the meat was added and braised with the pan covered on lowish heat for half an hour. The liquid is slowly bubbling, not boiling. The meat came out, all the solids were strained out of the pan (I wanted a smooth sauce without all the mustard seeds), I mixed heavy cream into the remaining smooth liquid, simmered it another ten minutes. Then the rabbit went back in to coat and warm. Creme fraiche is more authentic, instead of heavy cream.
The duck confit was a little salty but pretty good. I made it a few weeks ago. Carrots slowly cooked in butter and sugar. Then topped with eggs, beaten with duck fat and chives then lightly scrambled, and confetti spinach strips. My mashed potatoes were kind of lumpy.
My friend made dessert. Dried cherries, rehydrated in simmering port wine and sugar, with sliced pears and crumbled Stilton cheese.
In progress.
