Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Rabbit, Marbled (to be eaten cold—suitable for breakfast, luncheon, or supper). — Take a couple of fine rabbits. Skin, empty, and wash them ; take out the livers and kidneys, and fry them in plenty of hot fat till they are tender and darkly coloured, then lay them aside. Put the rabbits into boiling water, and let them remain in it for five minutes. This is to blanch them. Take them up, drain them, put them into a stewpan, pour over them as much cold water as will cover them, and add an onion stuck with four cloves, a bunch of parsley, a sprig of thyme, a bay-leaf, and a little pepper and salt. Let them simmer gently till tender, and carefully skim the broth. Cut off the heads and necks of the rabbits, lift the flesh from the bones in large neat pieces, and lay these aside. Scrape off the remainder of the meat from the bones, take care of it, and put all the bones into a clean saucepan with the rabbit broth and half an ounce of gelatine which has been soaked for an hour in cold water. Put into this a small portion of ham or bacon, and let it simmer till done enough, then take it out, and let the gravy simmer till it is reduced to a pint. Strain the gravy through a jelly-bag, carefully clear it from fat, and if necessary clarify it with white of egg, and season it well. Mince the scrapings of the meat with an equal quantity of fat bacon, add the weight of the meat in finely -grated breadcrumbs, season the mixture with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and powdered herbs, bind it together with egg, and form it into balls the size of a small nutmeg. Throw these into boiling water till they are set — they will take about ten minutes. Dip a deep mould into cold water, pour into this a small portion of the gravy just before it jellies, and let it flow round and round until it begins to set. Arrange the pieces of rabbit in this, together with the ham or bacon cut into strips, the liver and kidney sliced, the forcemeat balls, and one or two hard-boiled eggs cut into quarters. Be -careful not to pack the ingredients closely, but to leave room for the jelly to flow in amongst them, and also in placing the pieces to contrast the colours, that the mould may look pretty when it is turned out. Pour the jelly overall, and set the mould in a cool place. When wanted, turn it upon a dish, and it is ready for serving. Time, four or five hours. Probable cost of rabbits, 7d. to 9d. per pound. Sufiicient for a large dish. Rabbit, Marinaded and Baked (a Gei-man recipe) . — Skin, empty, and wash a fine rabbit, and let it lie for three or four hours in a marinade composed of a glassful of port or claret, a glassful of vinegar, a sliced onion, twenty peppercorns, a bay-leaf, end three pounded cloves. Turn and baste it three or four times. Tie slices of fat bacon across its back, fill it or not with veal forcemeat, lay it in a deep earthen dish, and pour the marinade upon it. Lay some large pieces of dripping upon it, bake in a moderate oven until done enough, and baste three or four times with the marinade. Half an hour before it is done enough pour a quarter of a pint of new milk over it, and baste the rabbit with this. Place it on a hot dish, take out the skewers, squeeze a little lemon- juice over it, and garnish with slices of lemon. Time to bake, three-quarters of an hour to one hour. Probable cost of rabbits, 7d. to 9d.