Mustard wine sauce rabbit recipe, with shallots, garlic and fresh herbs, is an easy version of a more complex French approach to cooking rabbit.
Never Had Rabbit!
I am not sure why rabbit meat is eaten more widely in Europe than in America, but it is an absolutely beautiful, lean, tender and flavorful meat! If it were not so expensive, I would highly recommend it over chicken. But for special occasions or an intention to impress a dinner guest, this rabbit recipe is both easy and layered with luscious flavors of French country cooking.
Rabbit, often found in a good supermarket or local butcher, is usually sold whole. While there are several tutorials on the internet that will show you how to cut the rabbit into serving portions, I found it quite easy to do without them. It separates much the same as you would cut up a whole chicken only much easier since the bones are few and delicate, making them easy to cut through.
Mustard Wine Sauce
Mustard is a savory, tangy addition to any sauce especially when white wine is added to it. The color alone, gives this rabbit recipe such a warm creamy appearance, which is perfect for rabbit, since it has such a delicate flavor on its own. A little splash of cream or creme fraiche deeps the richness of the sauce, just as a little splash of full cream coconut milk would also do to enhance this mustard wine sauce.
When choosing a white wine for this savory sauce, be certain to go with a dry, crisp, light in flavor white wine, and never a sweet white wine. The light flavored white wines add just the right amount of acidity to the mustard sauce and by all means go ahead and use a Dijon mustard, or grainy dark mustards, but please… not that bright yellow stuff you see on hotdogs.
Wine Sauces For Rabbit
While I have prepared rabbit with both a red wine sauce, with capers, rosemary, olives and tomatoes, I must say that I prefer this rabbit recipe made with a mustard white wine sauce simply because it doesn’t change the delicate color or flavors of the rabbit. Rabbit flavor is just delightful on its own and the subtle savory flavors of a mustard sauce compliments rather than covers the rabbit.
How To Cook Rabbit
While there are as many ways to cook a rabbit as there are to cook a chicken, I find that both rabbit and chicken retain their moisture best when the outside is seared quickly in a hot pan with a little oil and butter and herbs, covered, then simmered slowly in a little liquid in either the oven or on top the stove.
The butter and cream in this mustard wine sauce gives the rabbit just the right amount of fat needed when cooking this very lean meat. Since the wine will cook down rather rapidly in this sauce, the added liquids of either water or a broth helps the meat to simmer slowly in a hot bath. In this rabbit recipe I used broth made from boiling leeks and garlic because I was making a leek soup anyway but any broth you prefer works just fine.
Ingredients Needed
- Rabbit
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Flour
- Salt
- Pepper
- Juniper berries
- Dijon mustard
- White wine
- Cream or Creme Fraiche
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Broth or water
- Thyme
- Fingerling potatoes
- Mushrooms
Equipment Needed
- Mixing bowl
- Cutting board
- Chopping knife
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Cast iron pan with a lid or a Dutch oven
- Tongs
- Stovetop or burner
- Oven
Mustard Wine Sauce Rabbit Recipe
Course: Meat, World CuisineCuisine: European2
servingsMustard wine sauce rabbit recipe, with shallots, garlic and fresh herbs, is an easy version of a more complex French approach to cooking rabbit.
Ingredients
Rabbit – 1 whole rabbit, cut into 6 pieces along with the liver (optional)
Shallots – 2, cut into long thin slivers
Garlic – 2 cloves, rough chopped
Flour – 1/4 cup
Salt – 1 1/2 teaspoons
Pepper – 1/4 teaspoon
Juniper berries – 1/4 teaspoon, crushed
Dijon Mustard – 1 tablespoon
White Wine – 3/4 cup
Cream or Creme Fraiche – 1/2 cup
Butter – 3 tablespoons
Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
Broth or water – 2 cups
Thyme – 4 or 5 sprigs, tied with cooking twine (or loose then fished out later)
Fingerling Potatoes – 2 cups (optional)
Mushrooms – 2 cups (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a bowl place the flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and toss the rabbit pieces thoroughly so the meat is nicely coated.
- In a large heated cast iron pan or dutch oven, add the olive oil, and butter and stir until the butter is melted. Toss in the shallots, tied bundle of thyme and stir briskly. Layer all the pieces of flour dusted rabbit on top the shallots and sear both sides of the meat quickly.
- When both sides have a little color, pour in the wine, add juniper berries, pepper, remaining salt, mustard and give a little stir to incorporate. Add the broth and cream. Stir. Then add the mushrooms and potatoes and gently spoon the sauce over the mushrooms and potatoes. Bring to a little boil, cover, turn off and pop into the oven.
- Cook in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the lid and let it cook another 20 minutes to reduce the liquid a little. Serve while hot with a favorite green on the side. I chose my green bean bundles or Brussels sprouts, roasted in the sauce.
Notes
- Any remaining liquid in the pan, makes for a great soup base for another day. Simply add more water, some veggies and a little cooked noodles or rice.
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.
