Lapin à la Moutarde (Rabbit Cooked with Dijon Mustard)
It you like French cuisine, you are sure to love this dish. And, Lapin a la Moutard is a quintessential French country dish. Easy to make an full of flavour. Few dishes are as representative of traditional French country cuisine as rabbit in mustard sauce. This stands with the very best of the French culinary icons, such as Beef Bourguignon, cassoulet and bouillabaisse, and there are as many variations as there are regions in France. However, the rabbits from the area around Angers enjoy the best reputation in the country: Burgundy, Provence, Perigrod, and Limousin exhibit expertise in their preparation. Breeding of the rabbits in the area have focussed on their flavour and are fed a rich diet of alfalfa and other grains.
And, you can do it too. If you want to be self-sufficient and less dependent on outside resources (or simply cannot find rabbit at the butcher shop), raising your own meat animals is a smart choice: rabbits allow you to this while barely raising an eyebrow. And, if butchering your own food makes you squeamish, then get to know a hunter, you’ll have the ultimate in true country-flavour sensation without the guilt. We raise them here at Stolen Harvest because they are not a common item to be found in our butcher shops and we like to know where our food comes from, how it was raised, and ultimately butchered.
This dish can be used with pork if you cannot find rabbit.
Ingredients
1 large rabbit (3–4 lbs.), cut into serving pieces
1⁄2 cup dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 large shallots, chopped
1 cup French chablis or other dry white wine
1 bouquet garni (a blend of thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, and parsley tied in bundle if fresh; secured in a muslin cloth if using dried herbs)
1⁄3 cup crème fraîche (easy to make your own - recipe here)
3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley (preferably the flat leafed Italian kind)
Instructions
Smear rabbit pieces with mustard and season with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 tbsp. of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear rabbit pieces, turning frequently, until rabbit is very crisp, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a platter.
Reduce heat to medium and melt remaining 2 tbsp. butter in skillet. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and almost caramelized, 10 - 12 minutes.
Add wine to skillet and scrape up any browned bits. Return rabbit pieces to the skillet, along with bouquet garni. Cover and cook until rabbit is tender, about 35 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in creme fraiche and parsley. Chop extra for garnish.
Rabbits raised for meat are the best return for your inputs on the small homestead.