Mister rabbits last meal

Ambition and vision seemed to come into alignment, and as usual I probably went a little overboard on a dish for two, and maybe put in a few or more hours into it, just as well I like spending time in the kitchen I guess. I didn’t have a clear idea when I first saw Mr Rabbit inviting me to take him home from Moore Wilson as we madly dashed around the store on a rather freezing cold morning, rushing home to get a panel heater installed. Not so much a recipe as such, but more a list of what was what in roughly the order it happened.

Rabbit Broken down, loin removed, belly removed, legs removed and deboned.


Bones and scraps into a pan (pressure cooker) with baking soda, carrots, onion, caraway, juniper, peppercorns, thyme and parsley, 1 cup of water and 1 cup of dry suffolk cider, cooked on high pressure for 45 minutes, let to release pressure, strained without pressing the bones and vegetables.




Leg meat was cured in salt (2%), juniper and thyme overnight. Sous vide confit with duck fat for 4 hours at 70ºC. Roughly pulled apart and formed into a torchon, wrapped firmly in layers of cling film. Refrigerated overnight.


The leg “torchon” is sliced in half, and one half in half again, the intact half rolled in flour, egg yolk, panko crumbs, yolk and then finally crumbs again. Left in the fridge for at least half an hour.


Carrots peeled, sliced and cooked in enough water until tender, passed through a mouli, then a fine sieve, returned to pan and cooked with some butter until enough water has evaporated and a thick purée is left, seasoned.


Sauce, red onion, thyme, butter, cooked until the onion is tender and 1 cup of dry suffolk cider is added, reduced to 1 quarter, strained, 1 cup of rabbit stock added and reduced to 1 third of a cup, seasoned and enriched with a little butter to thicken and add shine.


Radish is sliced thinly then placed in an ice bath. Brussels sprouts broken down to individual leaves, blanched in boiling salted water then transferred to ice bath.


Leg quarters are seared on one side in butter and left to heat through. The crumbed half is fried in butter, spooning over the foaming butter to help create an even golden brown coating, drained on paper towels, and sliced in half on a bias just before serving.

Loin, pan seared and spoon with butter until medium.

Parsley and thyme picked over for garnish.

Plated with what one could call a skid mark of carrot purée, loin sliced in half, then the uncrumbed leg, crumbed leg, radish and sprout leaves arranges, and dressed with the rich sauce, and a scattering of herbs.

Pan Roasted Brussels sprouts

This recipe was originally created for Urban Harvest, do go check out their website for some great produce and other recipe ideas.

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Many people still screw their nose up at the humble Brussels sprout, with memories of childhood dinners, over boiled mushy green sprouts taunting them from the plate. But cooked properly, nothing can beat the sprout in my opinion. Simple is best, steamed with lashings of butter, roasted in the oven, or like below, pan roasted.

This recipe is ideal for a light meal, and will serve 2–3, it also works great as a side dish to a roast chicken.

300 g Brussels sprouts
150 g Gypsy bacon, cut into lardons
½ cup roughly chopped walnuts
3 baby celery
¼ tsp chili flakes (optional)
Olive oil
Lemon Juice or Cider Vinegar
Salt and Pepper 

1.  Clean the Brussels sprouts, discarding any tough outer leaves. Cut them in half (or quarters if they’re particularly large), and remove the stem. 
2. Wash the celery, remove the root end, and slice thinly including the leaves. 
3. Toast the walnuts and chilli flakes in a pan over a medium heat, taking care not to burn them, when toasted set aside and wipe out the pan. 
4. Pour a drop of olive oil into a heavy based frying pan (20cm) and add the bacon, slowly cook over a medium heat, until most of the fat has rendered and the bacon has become crisp around the edges. 
5. Add the Brussels sprouts, spreading out evenly, and let cook undisturbed for a minute, give them a stir, you want the Brussels sprouts to brown not burn, cook for another minute, then add a splash of lemon juice (or vinegar), let the Brussels sprouts cook for a further 2 minutes. 
6. Stir through the celery and walnuts, taste and season with salt and pepper. 
7. Serve.

Pork Loin Chops with Cauliflower

Ingredients
Juniper berries
Apple Cider Vinegar
Sage
Lemon
Pork loin chops
Cauliflower
Crème fraîche
Horseradish
Butter
Brussel sprouts
Nutmeg

Mise en place
Juice a lemon
Crush juniper berries
Slice Sage in to strips
Floret cauliflower
De-Stem brussel sprouts (and halve)

Method

Place into a bowl/dish apple cider, lemon juice, crushed juniper berries, sage, salt, pepper and pork chops.

Mix, making sure the meat is coated in the liquid, let sit for 30 minutes and give it a good mix up again, let it sit a final 30 minutes.

10-15 minutes before the meat is finished marinating, put a couple of inches of water in a pot with a good dose of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Once boiling add the cauliflower and cook until tender.
Blend the cauliflower with a little of the liquid until smooth.
Add back to the empty pot, and on a low heat, cook off the liquid in the puree until it thickens up (about 30% reduction).
Set aside.
In a bowl, mix a good tablespoon or two of crème fraîche with a dollop of horseradish puree, set aside until the cauliflower has had a chance to cool a little.

Get a steamer on the go ready to cook the brussel sprouts while the chops are cooking.

In a frying pan heat a tablespoon of olive oil until smoking hot, and place chops in the hot oil and leave to cook about 4 minutes per side (time will vary on thickness).
DO NOT discard the marinade.
Once cooked, let the chops rest in a warm place.

Tip oil out of the pan, and place back on heat, tip the marinade in to deglaze the pan, add a knob of butter and nutmeg, then when butter is almost melted add the brussel sprouts and coat.

Just before serving, mix the crème fraîche mixture with the cauliflower, and heat through.

Done!