Lièvre en Daube

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •4-quart (3.8-liter) lidded oval terrine, about 14 inches long
• •Heavy 3-quart saucepan
• •Sharp boning knife
• •Butcher's needle and cotton butcher's twine
• •Food processor or chilled meat grinder
• •Sturdy fine-mesh sieve and firm scraper
• •Fine-mesh strainer and cheesecloth
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Two broad spatulas

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate the hare

   Lay the hare belly-down and inspect the back opening. The ribs and spine should be removed without piercing the belly skin, while the saddle meat remains attached inside its natural casing. Trim the shoulder and leg meat from their bones and chill it immediately. Season the hare inside and out with 2 teaspoons of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the pepper, then place it in a snug nonreactive dish with the Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) and 2 tablespoons of the brandy. Cover, chill for 1 hour, and turn once. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the brandy-scented marinade for the forcemeat, where it will cook fully, then discard the rest.

2. 2

   Build the fumet

   While the hare marinates, prepare the fumet, the concentrated game essence that replaces the brigade stockpot. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat and brown the reserved bones thoroughly, turning them until their surfaces are deep bronze and the pan floor carries a dark fond. Pour in the red wine gradually, scraping up every brown deposit, then reduce it by about one-third. Add the cold water and hold at a bare simmer for 45 minutes. Strain and reduce or dilute with hot water as needed to make 4 cups. Reserve 1 cup separately for the jelly and keep the remaining fumet hot. If part of the fond burns black, leave that patch behind rather than scraping bitterness into the liquid.

3. 3

   Make the forcemeat

   Weigh the chilled shoulder and leg meat, then weigh out exactly the same amount of chilled fat bacon or fatback. The equality matters; it is the source recipe's governing ratio. Chill the processor blade or grinder parts for 15 minutes, then grind or pulse the meat and fat with the egg, wild thyme, quatre-épices, reserved marinade, remaining salt, and remaining pepper until cohesive and tacky. Rub this forcemeat through a sturdy fine-mesh sieve, pressing firmly with a scraper. Fold in the prepared hare-liver component from Gratins (No. 268), followed by the diced fat bacon and truffles. Fry a teaspoonful until fully cooked and taste for seasoning. If the mixture becomes glossy, greasy, or warm, stop. Ça se rattrape: spread it in a shallow bowl, chill it for 20 minutes, then continue with the bowl set over ice.

4. 4

   Fill and reconstruct

   Drain the hare and dry it thoroughly inside and out. Spread the forcemeat evenly along the belly and saddle, pressing it into the shoulder and leg spaces before mounding the remainder through the center. Pack firmly enough to exclude air pockets, but do not stretch the skin. Draw the back opening together and sew it closed with butcher's twine in close, even stitches. Fold the limbs into a resting position and tie the head back against the body, restoring the hare's compact natural outline. If the skin tears, place a bacon slice across the weak spot and secure it with a cross-tie; the bacon becomes an honest patch and protects the filling.

5. 5

   Wrap and brown

   Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 4-quart oval terrine crosswise with half the streaky bacon, leaving enough overhang to fold inward. Wrap the reconstructed hare with the remaining slices and settle it snugly into the terrine, sewn side down. Fold over the lining bacon and pour the remaining brandy around the hare. Set the uncovered terrine on a rimmed baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes. This uncovered beginning supplies the browning, so there is no need to imitate a salamander under a home broiler.

6. 6

   Braise it gently

   Reduce the oven to 300°F (150°C). Pour about 3 cups of the hot fumet around the hare, bringing the liquid roughly two-thirds of the way up its sides without washing over the browned bacon. Cover the terrine and cook gently for 3 hours. The liquid should barely tremble, never boil hard, and the center of the forcemeat must reach at least 160°F (71°C). If the liquid bubbles aggressively, lower the oven to 275°F (135°C); if the level falls below halfway, add a little hot water. Continue beyond 3 hours in 15-minute intervals if the center has not reached temperature.

7. 7

   Drain and unwrap

   Leave the covered terrine to half-cool for 30 minutes, no longer. Lift the hare carefully onto a tray with two broad spatulas, then pour the cooking liquor through a fine-mesh sieve lined with damp cheesecloth. Remove the bacon wrapping without tearing the skin, skim the clear fat from the strained liquor, and return the hare to the wiped terrine. Leave the sewing and shaping ties in place until the jelly has set.

8. 8

   Set the jelly

   Bloom the gelatin in the ice-cold water for 5 minutes. Measure the strained cooking liquor and add enough reserved fumet to make 3 cups; if there is more, reduce it gently to that amount. Warm the liquid without boiling, dissolve the bloomed gelatin in it, and taste for salt. Chill a spoonful on a cold saucer for 5 minutes. It should form a tender jelly that holds when tilted. If it remains liquid, bloom the optional extra gelatin in a tablespoon of cold cooking liquor and whisk it into the warm mixture. Pour the savory jelly around the hare, working slowly so it fills every space in the terrine.

9. 9

   Chill and carve

   Set the terrine in a shallow bath of ice water for 20 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours; overnight gives the cleanest slices. Remove every visible thread and shaping tie before carving. Cut the hare crosswise with a thin knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts, keeping the amber-red jelly with each slice. The forcemeat should be close and smooth, with distinct cubes of fat bacon and black truffle held inside. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Buy an inspected hare from a licensed game dealer and have it opened and boned through the back. Keep the meat below 40°F (4°C), cook the fried seasoning sample thoroughly, and take the finished center to at least 160°F (71°C).
• •The Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) and Gratins (No. 268) are finished components, not subrecipes hidden inside this one. Prepare them first and chill them completely; the source keeps those preparations separate, and so do we.
• •If local game is sold without the head, do not manufacture a false one. Tuck the neck skin inward and tie the hare into a compact oval. The silhouette changes, which should be said plainly, but the intact belly casing, stuffing ratios, braise, and cold set remain true to the dish.
• •Fresh black truffles carry the fullest aroma. Out of season, use good whole preserved truffles, drain them well, and accept their gentler perfume; truffle-flavored oil does not behave or taste like the diced truffle this forcemeat requires.
• •Two hours is the source's minimum cold set. An overnight rest makes the jelly steadier and the forcemeat easier to carve, so this is splendid dinner-party food precisely because the difficult work can be finished before guests arrive.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare and chill the Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) before beginning. The Gratins (No. 268) component can be prepared with the reserved liver earlier on the assembly day, then held cold until the main forcemeat is ready.
• •The completed terrine can be made 1 to 2 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. The forcemeat settles, the truffle perfume spreads, and the jelly becomes easier to carve.
• •Once cut, keep the remaining hare covered by its jelly and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Use a clean knife for every serving so the cold terrine remains sound.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 620g)