Recipe courtesy of Massimo Bottura

Rabbit in Balsamic Vinegar

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  • Level: Advanced
  • Total: 2 hr 45 min
  • Prep: 2 hr
  • Cook: 45 min
  • Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Mashed potatoes:

Parsley foam:

Balsamic vinegar film:

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Preheat the grill.
  2. Debone the rabbit into separate breasts and legs, reserving the fat. Set aside the bones, meat, meat scraps, and fat in 3 separate piles.
  3. In a small pot, combine the bones, celery, carrot, onion, rosemary, and thyme. Cover with water and bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes to make the rabbit jus. Strain and set aside.
  4. In a food processor, combine the meat scraps, heavy cream, and egg whites to make a mousse for the quenelles. Slightly crush the pistachios and fold into the quenelle mixture. Form the quenelles with two teaspoons.
  5. Grill the liver, kidneys, and fat. Cook the legs separately in the oven for 20 minutes. Saute the rest of the rabbit in a heavy skillet. Remove and set aside. Add the quenelles to the same pan and cook. Remove the rabbit quenelles and set aside and add the bacon and cook until crisp. Once the bacon is crisp, remove from the pan, and cut into small pieces to make bacon chips. Set all aside and keep warm.
  6. Mashed potatoes: In a small pot over low heat, combine the olive oil and vegetable broth. Add the steamed potatoes, and whisk until smooth. Add the salt and pepper, and the rosemary-infused olive oil.
  7. Parsley Foam: Blanch the garlic cloves by boiling them in water 3 times for 20 seconds each time. Bring the milk to a boil in a separate pot. Dry the garlic cloves and add them to the boiling milk and cook until very tender and smooth. Blanch the parsley in boiling water and put it in the food processor to obtain a liquid juice. Add the garlic and make a puree. Add the gelatin. Strain the mixture and allow to cool.
  8. Balsamic vinegar film: Heat the vinegar in a small saucepan, and add the agar-agar. When the mixture is smooth, pour it on a cookie sheet, and let cool. Cut into pieces.
  9. To serve the rabbit, make a quenelle of mashed potatoes out of tablespoons and place on plate. Place all the rabbit parts and the rabbit quenelle in different positions on the plate. Add the bacon chips, the foam, and the vinegar film to give volume to the dish. Finish with rabbit juice, and serve.