I
am in the middle or should I say start of writing a book about
how history has influenced cookery and entertaining today. It
is fascinating to think that the Elizabethans had parmesan cheese!
We, of course- like every new generation who thinks they invented
sex, think that we are the only ones who know how to eat well.
Rabbit is rarely eaten now a days which is a shame -the hang
over from the war still in people’s minds- but it is a much
underrated meat- lean, tasty and cheap. Ask your butcher to
do all the hard work of striping it from the bones and don’t
tell anyone what it is until they have tasted it! Oh by the
way Happy Easter!
Rabbit Pie
Serve 6
1 kg of Rabbit cut into pieces – ask your game dealer/butcher
to do this for you
1 heaped tbsp. rosemary, chopped
Clarified butter about 100 g
Juice of ½ lemon and the zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
150g button mushrooms
Salt and pepper
50ml crème fraiche
2-3 tbsp flour
2 tbsp
1tbsp freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
500ml chicken or game stock
Egg wash:
1 egg yolk mixed with a little double cream
You will need a deep pie dish.
Make the pastry and let it rest in the fridge. Recipe below:
Jeremy’s Pastry
In a large frying pan, heat up 2 tbsp. clarified butter and
cook the rabbit pieces until they are cooked through and browned
on all sides. Remove the rabbit pieces and set aside.
Heat up another 2 tbsp of clarified butter in the pan and fry
the onions and mushrooms until soft and just starting to colour.
Add the flour to the vegetables and stir with a wooden spoon
until all the flour is absorbed into the fat and slowly pour
in the stock to make the gravy. Bring it all up to the simmer
and cook for 3-4 minutes until it thickens. Stir in the crème
fraiche, lemon juice, lemon zest chopped parsley to the pan
and season to taste and set a side.
Cut the pastry in half and roll out the first half and cover
the bottom of the pie dish. Spoon in the rabbit filling. Roll
out the remaining pastry and cover the filling tucking in any
overlapping pastry to form a thick rustic crust around the dish.
Make a slit in the top and brush with the egg wash. Bake the
pie in a pre heated oven 200c for 35-40 minutes. It is done
when golden. Serve piping hot.
Jeremy’s Pastry
345g plain flour
225g butter cubed
1 egg from the fridge
Salt and Pepper
A little cold water if needed
Put everything into a food processor and pulse until it comes
together to form a ball. Only add water if it is crumbly. Wrap
in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least ½ an
hour. Bring to room temperature and roll out.
I would recommend a fruity Alsace Wine with this.
Top Tip:
Instead of a chocolate Easter egg this year I would like a beautiful
acorn or chestnut from Penkridge ceramics www.penkridgeceramics.co.uk
They are so life like that even the squirrels will try to eat
them! Failing that a wonderful chocolate egg form Duchy Originals
would be delicious too!
This article by Amy Willcock appears in The
Shooting Gazette April 2007, and is reproduced here with permission.
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