Chicken

Rabbit à la Moutarde

March  6, 2021
4.8
4 Ratings
Photo by Gentl & Hyers
  • Serves four
Author Notes

Yes, this recipe works with chicken; but if you haven’t ever tried rabbit, I encourage you to seek it out from your local farmers’ market or butcher shop. Its mild flavor and tender texture go so beautifully with this simple, creamy mustard sauce, and the entire dish is easy to make. It also reheats beautifully if you’d like to make it ahead. Serve with plenty of good bread to sop up all of the gorgeous sauce.

Excerpted from the book BUVETTE by Jody Williams. © 2014 by Jody Williams. Reprinted by permission of Grand Central Publishing. All rights reserved. —Jody Williams

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Ingredients
  • 3 to 4 pounds rabbit, cut into serving pieces
  • Coarse salt
  • 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
  • 1 teaspoon teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cups smooth Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
  • 1 pound small potatoes, boiled until tender and halved
Directions
  1. Pat the rabbit pieces dry with paper towels and season aggressively with salt.
  2. Melt the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the rabbit pieces and cook, turning only once, until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the rabbit pieces to a plate and set aside.
  3. Add the shallots and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the herbes de Provence, thyme, and wine to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Whisk in the cream and both of the mustards, then lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer so that all of the flavors combine, just a minute or two. Season the mixture to taste with salt.
  4. Return the browned rabbit pieces to the pot and simmer, uncovered, until the rabbit is tender, about 20 minutes. Add the cooked potatoes during the last 10 minutes of cooking just to heat them through. Serve hot.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

5 Reviews

Dana December 25, 2022
Feels like a real celebratory dish, and simple to put together. Cooked this for Christmas Eve, tonight, for the first time. I'm glad I went with the rabbit, even though I considered subbing chicken. Some family members declined because they found the idea unappetizing, but those who tried it loved it. The soft texture with the creamy mustard sauce was really special. Huge fan of Jody Williams and Buvette and this lived up to my expectations.
Cassandra B. October 17, 2014
I'm making it right now, and I'm using 3 sliced. It smells wonderful . . .
Cassandra B. October 17, 2014
The shallots aren't listed in the ingredient list.
chef L. October 17, 2014
I've made this dish twice now, both times using two shallots, coarsely chopped.
chef L. April 26, 2014
I don't hunt but there's a shop in town that sells game and I've always liked rabbit. So I made this last night. I augmented the mustards and have to say this is a fine dish and believe the butter is essential. The sauce was creamy and rich and spicy but not overwhelming. Wonder recipe.