This is a really easy dish and a fantastic entry level to wild rabbit if you’ve never tried it. Its a really delicate meat, with a mild flavour and soft texture. We need to be eating less commercially produced meat and wild meat like rabbit, hare, venison and game birds are a sustainable alternative.
I got these from my local butcher. Most butchers will have a game dealer they can call on. Just be clear that you want a wild, Scottish animal, as lots of farmed rabbits are imported from France, which kind of defeats the sustainability issue!
2 packs puff pastry
1 wild rabbit
500ml chicken stock
150ml white wine
Bunch thyme
1 whole head of garlic
250g chanterelles
2 shallots
1 tbsp dijon
Bunch tarragon
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 beaten egg
1tsp nigella seeds
Joint the rabbit and add to an ovenproof dish. Add the garlic head (left whole) and the chicken stock, wine, and thyme. Braise for 25 minutes or so at 160 fan. Leave to cool in the tin, then shred all the meat.
Reserve the garlic.
Strain the cooking liquor and reduce until only about 100ml remains.
Dice the shallot, and add that and the chanterelles to a hot pan with a little butter and oil. Fry until golden. Then deglaze with the sherry vinegar. Cut the top off the whole garlic and squeeze out the cloves into the pan.. They’ll be soft, sweet, and gooey.
Add the tarragon leaves and season well with salt and black pepper.
Mix with the rabbit and the reduced cooking liquid and chill.
Roll out your pastry and cut 2 discs (one about 2 cm wider than the other).Pile half the mixture in a dome in the centre of the smaller disc, leaving a 3cm border all around. Brush with beaten egg and place the larger pastry disc on top. Press down around the dome of rabbity shroomy goodness.
Score the pastry, cut a vent cross in the top, and brush with beaten egg.
Repeat with the rest of the pastry and rabbit mix. Or if you find the Pithivier shape too much of a challenge, unroll the pastry sheet and spread the mixture all along the longer side about one third of the way up. Brush the pastry with egg wash and fold the smaller end over the mixture, then roll over the remaining pastry. Press down the edge with a flour dusted fork and trim to tidy up.
Sprinkle with nigella or sesame seeds and bake at 195 fan for 30 minutes.
Enjoy hot or cold.
