The encyclopaedia of practical cookery

Civet of Hare a la Franpaise. — Skin a good-sized Hare, draw it, preserving the blood if there is any, and also the liver, with the gall carefully removed. Place the blood and the liver on the same dish, and cut the Hare into twelve pieces ; put these into a stone jar, seasoning with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, adding also one sliced onion, one sprig of thyme, two bay-leaves, and £ wineglassful of white wine ; mix all well together, and steep for six hours. Lift out the pieces of Hare, put them in a saucepan witli loz. of butter, adding twelve glazed small onions and loz. of salted pork cut into small pieces, and cook on a brisk fire for ten minutes ; then add 3 table-spoonfuls of flour, stir well, and moisten with 1 wineglassful of red wine also 1 pint of white broth, and stir until it boils, seasoning again with salt and pepper. Cook for one hour longer, and fifteen minutes before it is done put in the blood, heart, and liver, both finely chopped and mixed together. Serve on a dish, with croutons of fried bread for garnish. Essence of Hare. — Break up the bones of two or three Hares and put them with their trimmings into a saucepan ; add a carrot, a bunch of sweet herbs, an onion stuck with three cloves, a small quantity of grated nutmeg, and 1 pint of Madeira. Boil till the moisture is reduced to a glaze, then pour in 3qts. of broth. When the broth boils, skim it, move it to the side of the fire, and simmer for an hour and a half. Strain the essence through a broth-napkin, and leave till cooled; then skim well, and bottle it for future use. Fillets of Hare with. Poivrade Sauce.- -Clean two Hares, cut off the fillets, remove the skin, and lard them well, using a small needle. Put them in a deep dish, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, adding one onion, one carrot, cut in pieces, and G table-spoonfuls of white wine. Let all soak together for two hours, then transfer the whole to a bakingpan, with some scraps of pork rind placed at the bottom of the pan, and put this in the oven to cook. Place the fillets on a dish, pour in the pan 1 gill of hot broth, let it come to the boil, strain it over the fillets, and serve with poivrade sauce separately. Fillets of Hare to resemble Roebuck. — Cut off the fillets from three Hares, lard them equally with strips of fat bacon, and put them into a deep basin with a little parsley, two sliced onions, a bay-leaf, a little thyme, salt, and pepper, 1 wineglassful of vinegar, and half that quantity of water. Let them remain in this to steep for two days, then take them out, drain, and fry in a frying-pan with a little butter. Take out before they are quite done, and glaze them. Serve upon a dish, with poivrade sauce in a tureen. Fillets of Hare Sautes. — Trim the fillets, and lay them side by side in a saute-pan with some clarified butter. Put the bones and trimmings of the Hare in a saucepan with a little broth, season, and simmer for half-an-hour. Skim the fat off the liquor of the bones, pass it through a fine Fig. 927. Fillets or- Hare Sautes. hair sieve into a deep stewpan, mix with it 1 teacupful of vinegar and a bunch of sweet herbs, and boil until reduced to half-glaze. Take the bunch of herbs out of the sauce, add a small piece of lemon-peel and 2 tablespoonfuls .of red-currant jelly, and boil for five minutes; then put in 1 teacupful of dried currants that have been