Lièvre à la Royale
Simplified home version — rabbit ballotine with a red wine, chocolate and liver sauce, royale custard, chestnut confit and fig-apple purée
- Difficulty
- Total time
- 6 h
- Hands-on
- 4 h
- Cost
- ¥¥¥¥
- Servings
- 4
Equipmentheavy pot, frying pan, blender, fine sieve, ramekins, oven, kitchen twine, thermometer
Tasterich, umami, sweet
Ingredients
+ added by Totsuki AI. ≈ amount estimated by Totsuki AI.
Lièvre ensemble
- 1 wild rabbit or hare, about 1.5 kg, jointed (ask for the blood if available) (amount estimated)
- salt, to taste (added by Totsuki AI)
- black pepper, to taste (added by Totsuki AI)
- 2 tbsp butter (added by Totsuki AI)
Blood and chocolate sauce
- 500 ml red wine (amount estimated)
- 300 ml rabbit fond, from the bones (amount estimated)
- 50 g foie gras, or chicken livers (amount estimated)
- 15 g chocolate, dark (amount estimated)
- 50 ml rabbit blood — optional (amount estimated)
Royale custard
- 2 eggs (amount estimated)
- 150 ml consommé (amount estimated)
- 10 g porcini, dried, soaked and chopped (amount estimated)
Chestnut confit and fig-apple purée
- 12 chestnuts, peeled (amount estimated)
- 200 g butter, or duck fat, for confit (added by Totsuki AI)
- 4 figs (amount estimated)
- 1 apple, peeled (amount estimated)
- 1 tbsp sugar (added by Totsuki AI)
Garnish
- black truffle, to taste, shaved — optional (amount estimated)
Method
+ step written by Totsuki AI.
- 1
Bone the rabbit. Mince the hind-leg meat and season it; lay the collar and saddle meat on plastic wrap, spread the mince over, roll tightly into a cylinder and tie. Chill for 1 hour.+
- 2
Roast the bones until brown, cover with water and simmer for 2 hours to make the fond; strain. Reduce the red wine by two-thirds.+
- 3
Sear the rabbit roll in butter on all sides, then roast at 160 °C until 68 °C in the centre. Rest for 10 minutes.+
- 4
Combine the reduced wine with 300 ml fond, blend in the foie gras and chocolate, and warm gently. If using the blood, whisk it in off the heat just before serving — do not boil.+
- 5
Whisk the eggs, consommé and porcini, pour into buttered ramekins and bake in a water bath at 140 °C for 25 minutes until just set.+
- 6
Confit the chestnuts in barely simmering butter for 30 minutes. Cook the figs and apple with the sugar and a splash of water until soft, then purée.+
- 7
Slice the rabbit, nap with the sauce and serve with the royale, chestnuts, fig-apple purée and shaved truffle.+
Food safety
- Wild game can carry parasites — cook to at least 71 °C / 160 °F unless it is farmed, inspected meat.