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Rabbit Stew, a French delicacy
2016-08-15
- This Recipe
- Chef: Madame D'aubéry
- Cuisine: French Cuisine
- Course: Main Dish, Meat Stew, Meat
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Category: Course
- Yield: 3 to 4
- Preparation Time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking Time: 2 H
- Readiness Time: 1 Day
- This Post
- Author : FX (François-xavier)
- Category: Recipe
- Posted on: Monday August 15, 2016
- Comments : 73 Comments
-
Languages :
English | 
Français
- Ingredients
- Garlic, Carrots, Mushrooms, Cognac, Tomato paste, Rabbit, Diced bacon, Laurel (bay) leaves, Onions, Thyme, Red wine,
- Print This Recipe
-
Print
La version Française se trouve ICI |
The rabbit stew, a French delicacy recipe that Madame d'Aubery taught me Don't forget to share your photos once you tried this recipe! HERE |
Source of the recipeOne of the first recipes that Madame d'Aubery taught me... A delicious dish that she used to cook perfectly !She actually got the recipe from a chef working at a top restaurant in Lyon, France. |
 |
 | Not sure how she was able to get the recipe ( during those times, recipes from top restaurants were such a secret that it was considered a real miracle to get them ). As she was a restaurant owner, I guess she used some sort of mafia amongst the cooks to steal those recipes ? |
Ingredients
 | With 2 kg (4 lbs 7 oz ) of Rabbit4 lbs 7 oz Rabbit (2 kilograms)½ Cup Olive Oil2 Tablespoons Butter (30 grams)2 tablespoons of Flour½ Cup Cognac or Brandy2 Onions5 Garlic Cloves½ Cup Bacon1 tablespoon of Tomato PasteA small quantity of ThymeA small quantity of Laurel (Bay) leaves4 ¼ Cups Red Wine (1 Liter)A small quantity of Water3 Carrots10 Button Mushrooms1 pinch of Salt1 pinch of Pepper |
With 1.5 kg (3 lbs 5 oz ) of Rabbit3 lbs 5 oz Rabbit (1.5 kilograms)⅓ Cup Olive Oil2 Tablespoons Butter (22.5 grams)1 ½ tablespoons of Flour⅓ Cup Cognac or Brandy1 ½ Onions3.7 Garlic Cloves⅓ Cup Bacon¾ tablespoon of Tomato PasteA small quantity of ThymeA small quantity of Laurel (Bay) leaves3 ¼ Cups Red Wine (0.75 Liter)A small quantity of Water2.2 Carrots7.5 Button Mushrooms1 pinch of Salt1 pinch of Pepper |
With 1 kg (2 ¼ lbs ) of Rabbit2 ¼ lbs Rabbit (1 kilogram)¼ Cup Olive Oil1 Tablespoon Butter (15 grams)1 tablespoon of Flour¼ Cup Cognac or Brandy1 Onion2.5 Garlic Cloves¼ Cup Bacon½ tablespoon of Tomato PasteA small quantity of ThymeA small quantity of Laurel (Bay) leaves2 Cups Red Wine (0.5 Liter)A small quantity of Water1 ½ Carrots5 Button Mushrooms1 pinch of Salt1 pinch of Pepper |
You will need...
Steps
If your
Rabbit
doesn't come cut, you will need to cut it yourself : This video shows you how to proceed:1. 
Warm in a dutch oven the
Warm in a dutch oven the Olive Oil
(½ Cup) and theButter
(2 Tablespoons or 30 g) and then brown theRabbit
(4 lbs 7 oz or 2 kg) until lightly colored
2. Brown on all sides, but do not fully cook the meat !
3. Add the
4. Deglaze with the
5. Keep scraping the bottom of the dutch oven : this will release flavors and will avoid to burn the sauce
6.
The juices that stick to the bottom ('sucs' in French) are one the secret for a super tasty sauce : You have to continuously scratch the bottom to release them into the sauce, otherwise they stay, stick, and burn
3. Add the
Flour
(2 tablespoons) and stir4. Deglaze with the
Cognac or Brandy
(½ Cup)5. Keep scraping the bottom of the dutch oven : this will release flavors and will avoid to burn the sauce
6.
The juices that stick to the bottom ('sucs' in French) are one the secret for a super tasty sauce : You have to continuously scratch the bottom to release them into the sauce, otherwise they stay, stick, and burn
7. Add the diced
8. Add in the
9. Keep scraping... that will make your sauce tastier
10. Add in the
Onions
(2) and the dicedGarlic Cloves
(5) and stir8. Add in the
Bacon
(½ Cup) and cook for5 minutes
9. Keep scraping... that will make your sauce tastier
10. Add in the
Tomato Paste
(1 tablespoon) and stir
11. Add in the herbs :
12. Starts to smell delish in the house !
Thyme
,Laurel (Bay) leaves
and others...12. Starts to smell delish in the house !
The wine |
13. Time to pour in the
14.
If you want to be super technical, you would follow Thomas Keller's advice (the Californian chef with 3 Michelin stars restaurants) : He recommends to boil and flambé the wine prior to using it. Madame d'Aubery was not doing it. Up to you !
15. Slice and add in the
16. Lower the heat, reduce to a simmer
17. Make sure to cover
Red Wine
(4 ¼ Cups or 1 Liter) : lower the heat to low/medium. Make sure to cover the meat with theRed Wine
, and if not fully covered with the liquid, pour in someWater
14.
If you want to be super technical, you would follow Thomas Keller's advice (the Californian chef with 3 Michelin stars restaurants) : He recommends to boil and flambé the wine prior to using it. Madame d'Aubery was not doing it. Up to you !15. Slice and add in the
Carrots
(3)16. Lower the heat, reduce to a simmer
17. Make sure to cover
Cooking |
18. 
The stew must cook for
19. At some point, add the
20. You may bake in the oven as well
21. After it is fully cooked, use a sieve to filter the juice
The stew must cook for 2 hours
,on low heat
19. At some point, add the
Salt
(1 pinch) and thePepper
(1 pinch) (but not at the very beginning as the salt and pepper could become overpowering after evaporation)20.
You may bake in the oven as well21. After it is fully cooked, use a sieve to filter the juice
The sauce |
22. To make the sauce, place into a blender and blend the juice, Half of the cooked carrots, Half of the cooked onions, and a few bacon strips
23. Madame d'Aubery didn't add in the
24. Then she put everything together in the dutch oven : the mushrooms, the blended sauce and the meat with the vegetables
23. Madame d'Aubery didn't add in the
Button Mushrooms
(10) directly... She would sauté them first in a skillet with butter24. Then she put everything together in the dutch oven : the mushrooms, the blended sauce and the meat with the vegetables
25. Madame d'Aubery had a secret : she would not eat this delicious recipe the same day : she would refrigerate the dish overnight before serving it to her guests the next days
26. I tested and compared the tastes, and indeed, the sauce texture is thicker and the taste of the stew is more developed when you wait for a full day...
Madame d'Aubery had a secret : she would not eat this delicious recipe the same day : she would refrigerate the dish overnight before serving it to her guests the next days26.
I tested and compared the tastes, and indeed, the sauce texture is thicker and the taste of the stew is more developed when you wait for a full day...The other recipe of Meat Stews  |
The result and the pix
|
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Cooking with the same ingredients ?
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   |
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 |
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  |
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4 lbs 7 oz Rabbit (2 kg)
½ Cup Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter (30 g)
2 tablespoons of Flour
½ Cup Cognac or Brandy
2 Onions
5 Garlic Cloves
½ Cup Bacon
1 tablespoon of Tomato Paste
A small quantity of Thyme
A small quantity of Laurel (Bay) leaves
4 ¼ Cups Red Wine (1 Liter)
A small quantity of Water
3 Carrots
10 Button Mushrooms
1 pinch of Salt
1 pinch of Pepper
Comments for This Recipe
Glad I found this on the internet.
Thanks for sharing.
1) I'm unable to use 4-1/4 cups of wine due to an allergy. What else can I use to replace it?
2) How much Thyme is used in terms of a teaspoon?
Thank you.
I am not sure how to substitue wine, as it is the esential ingredient for the taste here.
Are you allergic to Beer as well ? There is a Belgian recipe called "Carbonade Flamande" that is cooked with Belgian beer. You may replace the meat with rabbit as well.
hope this helps
Nice catch, I will add salt and pepper to the ingredients
But if it tastes good, nobody will complain !
My first attempt at preparing rabbit stew and I followed your recipe. My family loved it! Everyone had second helpings.
Thank you.
This website has a helpful list of substitutes for wine in recipes.
https://www.thekitchn.com/simple-nonalcoholic-substitutes-for-red-and-white-wine-tips-from-the-kitchn-184394
Ive never cooked rabbit, so wish me luck!
What side dish would you serve it with?
Lina
Trying any other liquor will change the essence of the dish, but it doesn't mean it will taste bad. For instance, Northern Europeans make this kind of dish with beer, and while its called differently ("carbonade” ), it's still very tasty, though different in taste.
So, as an answer to your question, you may try whiskey, but I would not advise it. Whiskey is good for "stronger" meats such as Beef or Pork. Can you try using Cognac instead ? Cognac can be expensive, but a cheap brand will do the trick...
Seems a lot!
Can I just add a kg of chicken thighs or something? What do you think?
Madeira
, or dryJerez
, or dryPort
: I'm sure the result would be only betterchicken
, yes, absolutely, go for it. ( but rabbit tastes so much better... )I like to serve this dish with tagliatelle pasta, or rice
however, plan for a higher quantity of rabbit as you dont have the bones.
Soup that was served usuallly a light vegetable broth ..to the beautifully
Prepared rabbit ..with home made boule of bread ...each course would be brought to the table and at same time the dishes would be passed over to whom ever had been assigned the Job of collecting ..Sunday dinners were for
Sure three hour affairs ..one did not race through a meal but
Enjoyed every morsel..our house hold had 3 generations living there under one roof..
The great Bocuse recommended wine "Julienas" for his coq au vin, that should work too. (never tried)
If you want a more powerful marinade, then select a French Côtes-du-Rhône for instance a Saint-Joseph. Equivalency : Syrah wine.
Hope this helps...
It’s been a few years since I’ve lived in France so forgive me for writing in franglais
I hunted my first rabbit a few days ago also trying to social distance like the previous commenter. It was very rewarding to hunt my own dinner and have a closeness to the process. I remember a French woman I knew who said we do not (in the modern world) have a relationship with our food...we buy herbs we could grow in a garden or even in an apartment. We detest hunting, but we buy our chicken with no comprehension of what it means to bring it to the table.
The first and last time I ate lapin I had it as a child. My best friend and neighbor had parents who were obsessed with fine French cooking. They invited me to travel with them and I enjoyed their generosity in exposing me to Michelin restaurants. When I was just a little girl, my friend brought rabbit stew to school for lunch and I stole half of it! I vowed to one day make it and I’m glad I was able to do it start to finish. Your recipe brought back a fond memory of that meal we shared or that I robbed
It needed no salt or pepper I discovered- although I am usually addicted to black pepper!
One thing I had to substitute was tomato paste. I had none and did not want to go to the store so I sautéed a tomato that was about to go bad, and added a little water and some sugar. I think the sweetness helped bring some of the flavors together and I generally find tomato paste a little sweet.
Anyway, merci merci merci beacoup for sharing this incredible recipe and bringing my childhood memory to life!
Santé,
Alexandra
Ps- I used a somewhat inexpensive California Merlot for the cooking but ate the stew with a more expensive Cabernet. The merlot was good enough to have drank with the stew...alors, cest la vie!
It's also something that I enjoy, although this meat is not easy to find in the States. Hunting seems almost necessary !
I shared this dish with American friends who were hesitant at first but who loved it in the end. They keep asking for the next one !
Also I forgot to finalise the sauce (drain add blend) but it was still a success using the sauce straight out the pot. We ate it about a 2 hours after it finished cooking. Next time I'll try to make it a day in advanced add recommended. Thanks again for this fantastic dish 😀
Is it vital to puree the sauce, or can i leave the sauce in a rustic way
Also, after the first day, let it cool, then refrigerate overnight (breaks the fibers), and then cook again, should be tender enough
Thank you
I am happy you enjoyed the recipe
However, Science has proven lately that wine and acidic solutions actually do the opposite : They make the fibers more rigid and not more tender.
The secret is a long and slow cooking process, followed by a long cool resting period, and then reheat.
But make sure to thaw in the fridge first overnight, and then to warm it in the stove.
Do not thaw in the microwave !!
You should cook venison or boar in water (or a stock) for a very long time (simmer for 2 or 3 hours) as a first step (to tenderize the meat) and then proceed like this recipe
Two questions, please.
First, I was startled by your indication the weights referred to the whole rabbit. May i just confirm that with you?
Second, I live in the Saône-et-Loire and never see American style bacon here. Poitrine fumée, yes of course, and lardons as well. I
Make my own American-style bacon so I do have it available. But would it perhaps be more conventional to just use lardons?
Thank you kindly.
Cheers.
The weigh I indicated is for whole rabbit with bones.
Originally the recipe calls for French "lardons", which is rare to find in the USA. Therefore I substitute with thick bacon, although not exactly the same.
Smoked bacon is actually very interesting for this recipe, it brings flavors that are unique in my opinion
Thank you kindly for your above answer. Much appreciated.
I hadn’t noticed the French language version of the recipe until now. Nice that you posted them both.
I noticed, however, that the dish is a civet in the French version. But no blood is included? If I elect to add it, do your notes indicate a quantity? And liver or kidneys?
Again, with appreciation.
Cheers.
And it's easier to make !
I have three Maltese friends coming over on Thursday and I have a Rabbit in the fridge. I'm following your advise and cook it the day before this time and I will add some bacon. I like this stew on mash potatoes.
Thank you for a great lesson.
Irene Posti