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Rabbit terrine with plums and Mirabelle eau-de-vie

Australian Gourmet Traveller French entree recipe for rabbit terrine with plums and Mirabelle eau-de-vie

By Andy Harris
  • Serves 8
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Rabbit terrine with plums and Mirabelle eau-de-vie
You'll need to start this recipe the day before.

Ingredients

Rabbit terrine
  • 300 gm small mirabelle plums or tinned plums, drained (see note)
  • 1 rabbit, deboned (about 600gm meat), liver and kidneys reserved and coarsely chopped (about 1.3kg)
  • 350 gm pork sausages, skins removed
  • 150 gm pork loin, finely diced
  • 50 gm fine dry breadcrumbs
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tbsp thyme leaves
  • 60 ml mirabelle eau-de-vie (see note) (¼ cup)
  • 180 gm pork back fat, thinly sliced into long, thin pieces to line terrine lengthways
  • ¼ cup goose fat, to seal terrine
  • 200 gm cornichons, to serve (1½ cups)
Dandelion salad
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1½ tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 35 gm firmly packed dandelion leaves, washed (see note) (1½ cups)

Method

Main
  • 1
    Score bases of plums, using a small sharp knife, and place in a saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute or until skins begin to split, then drain, cool and peel. Halve plums and remove stones. Set aside until needed.
  • 2
    Place rabbit meat between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and, using a meat mallet, gently flatten to 4mm thick. Set aside until needed.
  • 3
    Combine sausage meat, pork loin, rabbit liver and kidneys, breadcrumbs, eggs, thyme and eau-de-vie in a bowl and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground white pepper.
  • 4
    Preheat oven to 180C. Line the base and sides of a 1.75 litre-capacity (30cm long x 11cm wide) terrine with 6 slices of slightly overlapping pork back fat laid lengthways. Add one-third of the sausage mixture and press down well. Trim rabbit to fit terrine and arrange half of the rabbit in a layer over sausage mixture. Add half of the remaining sausage mixture, pressing down well, top with a layer of plums, then top with remaining sausage meat, pressing down well. Add remaining rabbit, pressing down well, and cover with remaining pork back fat. Cover tightly with foil, place on a wire rack in a roasting tray and fill with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the terrine and bake for 1¼ hours. Remove and place on a tray to cool.
  • 5
    Cut a piece of thick cardboard to fit inside the top of the terrine and wrap in foil. Place
    on top of terrine, weigh down with food cans and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator and remove foil. Remove top layer of back fat and discard. Carefully wipe top of terrine with a damp cloth, spoon goose fat over, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for another 3 hours or until goose fat is firm.
  • 6
    For salad, whisk oil, vinegar and mustard in a small bowl and season to taste. Drizzle over dandelion leaves and toss gently to coat.
  • 7
    To serve, unmould terrine, thickly slice and arrange on plates with salad and cornichons to the side. Remove back fat from around terrine and discard before eating.

Notes

Note Mirabelle plums are very sweet and have a golden skin. They're typically found in Europe. If unavailable, substitute with small blood or sugar plums. Mirabelle eau-de-vie is a clear plum-flavoured brandy. It's available from Vintage Cellars. If unavailable, substitute with normal brandy. Dandelion leaves have a slightly bitter taste and are best picked wild. If unobtainable, substitute rocket or watercress.
Drink Suggestion: Floral Alsatian gewürztraminer. Drink suggestion by Andy Harris

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  • undefined: Andy Harris