Rabbit rillettes with champagne gelee
Kick the evening off with these yummy starters! Rabbit Rillettes is a delicious recipe that turns a wild rabbit into a traditional country-style pate or terrine that uses pork fat to preserve. Served with champagne gelee, you'll love how indulgent and elegant this dish is.
SERVES
4
TO
6
Ingredients
Rabbit Rillettes
- 4 rabbit legs and thighs
- 1/3 bottle (~1 1/4 cups/250 ml) champagne
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) salt
- 1 lemon, peel only, wide strips
- 1 1/2 pounds (~600 g) duck fat
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 ml) black pepper
- 1 whole nutmeg, cracked + 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) grated
- Salt and pepper, to season
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) butter, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) Dijon mustard
- 1 small orange, zested
Champagne Gelee
- 6 sheets (10 g) gelatin
- 2/3 bottle (~2 1/4 cups/500 ml) champagne
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) granulated sugar
- 6 each blackberries and raspberries
Garnish
- Finely chopped tarragon, parsley, chives
- Edible flowers
- Crostini
Directions
For the Rillettes
- Brine the rabbit legs in a large zip-top bag with champagne, salt, and lemon peel.
- Refrigerate for at least two hours, up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 275° F (135° C).
- Melt the duck fat in a heavy pan over medium heat.
- Remove the rabbit legs from the brine, pat dry, and add to the fat.
- Add the thyme, rosemary, garlic, bay, pepper, and whole cracked nutmeg and return to a low simmer.
- Cover, transfer pot to oven and cook for three to four hours, until the meat is starting to get tender.
- Uncover the pan and cook for a further hour, until any bubbling subsides and the meat is very tender.
- Remove from the oven and strain through a sieve set over a heat-proof bowl.
- Spread the solids on a pan to cool, reserve the fat.
- When cool enough to handle, debone the meat and shred until it resembles a fine fibrous mass.
- Discard the bones, cartilage, garlic, rosemary, bay, nutmeg, and thyme.
- Combine the meat with half a cup (120 ml) reserved fat, grated nutmeg, butter, Dijon, orange zest, season with salt and pepper.
- Reserve in the refrigerator.
For the Champagne Gelee
- Bloom the gelatin in cold water for five to eight minutes, until soft.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the champagne with the sugar and bring to a simmer.
- Turn off heat and whisk in soft gelatin sheets and stir until dissolved.
- Remove from heat and let chill for 15 minutes.
- Line a glass five-by eight-inch (12.5 x 20.5 cm) dish with parchment and pour in the gelee.
- Carefully place the berries into the liquid in even intervals, about one inch (2.5 cm) apart.
- Refrigerate for at least two hours until firmly set.
To Serve
- Present the Rillettes using a two-and-a-half-inch ring mould. Garnish with chopped herbs.
- Use a one-to-one and a half-inch ring mould/cookie cutter to cut out neat coins of the gelee with berries in the middle.
- Garnish with edible flowers, as desired.
- Serve cold with crostini on the side. Enjoy!
