Jugged Hare

Hare pieces that fall apart with a fork, coated in a dark, velvety, and glossy sauce. The aroma of reduced red wine, thyme, and smoked bacon fills the room.

• Prep time: 30 min
• Cook time: 150 min
• Difficulty: Hard
• Calories: 716
• Protein: 66 g
• Carbs: 14 g
• Fat: 27 g

Ingredients

• 1 kg Hare meat ( cut into pieces )
• 0.7 L Red wine ( full-bodied )
• 133.3 g Smoked lardons ( for the garnish )
• 1.3 piece Yellow onion ( sliced )
• 1.3 piece Carrot ( sliced into rounds )
• 2 piece Garlic ( crushed )
• 0.7 piece Bouquet garni ( fresh )
• 26.7 g Wheat flour ( for dusting )
• 33.3 g Minimum butter sweet ( for cooking )
• 66.7 ml Beef blood ( for the final liaison )
• 166.7 g Button mushroom ( quartered )
• 6.7 piece Spring onion, sauté/poêlé sans matière grasse ( whole )
• 0.7 tsp Black peppercorns ( whole )
• 0.7 tsp Gray sea salt
• 1.3 tbsp Sunflower oil
• 33.3 ml Cognac

Instructions

1. Marinate the meat

   In a large container, place the hare pieces with the sliced yellow onions, carrot rounds, crushed garlic, peppercorns, and bouquet garni. Cover with red wine. Marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours so the wine infuses the meat.

2. Sear and flambé the hare

   Drain and thoroughly dry the meat pieces. In a cast-iron pot, heat the oil and butter. Sear the meat over high heat until a golden crust forms on all sides. Pour in the cognac and flambé immediately to add woody depth. Once the flames have died down, remove the meat.

3. Dust and deglaze

   Sauté the vegetables from the marinade in the same pot. Sprinkle with flour (singer) and stir for 2 minutes to cook the flour. Return the meat to the pot, then pour in the marinade wine. Deglaze the juices at the bottom of the pot.

4. Simmer slowly

   Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to minimum. Cover and simmer gently for about 2 hours. The meat is ready when it easily falls off the bone.

5. Prepare the garnish

   In a pan, sauté the smoked bacon bits, whole pearl onions, and quartered button mushrooms. They should be well-colored and crisp.

6. Thicken the sauce with blood

   Remove the meat and vegetables from the pot. Reduce the sauce if necessary: it should coat the back of a spoon. Off the heat, pour in the beef blood while whisking vigorously. The sauce will thicken and become very glossy. Do not boil after this step.

Chef's tips

• Never boil the sauce once the blood is added, or it will curdle and lose its smoothness.
• If you don't have blood, use two squares of 70% dark chocolate for color and shine.
• The secret is in the reduction: the sauce must be thick enough to perfectly coat the back of a spoon.

Storage

Keeps for 3 days in the refrigerator. It's even better reheated the next day over very low heat.