Wild Rabbit Terrine with Quince Chutney
Ingredients:
2 wild rabbits
2 lightly smoked ham knuckles
1 carrot
1 stick of celery
1 leek
4 sprigs of thyme
2 cloves of garlic
1tsp coriander seeds
5 peppercorns
8 leaves of gelatine
1 savoy cabbage
200g trompette de la mort mushrooms
1tbs butter
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Directions:
Cook the ham hocks and make the jelly: Place the hocks in a deep saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil, removing the impurities. Top the water up and add the carrot, leek, celery, two sprigs of thyme, peppercorns and coriander seeds. Simmer for about 3 hours until the ham is cooked. Pass the liquid through a fine sieve and measure 1L of the cooking liquid. Soak the gelatine in cold water and add it to the 1L of warm stock. Flake the ham meat from the bone and remove the fat.
Cook the rabbit legs: Remove the rabbit back and front legs, remove the loins and set aside. Place the legs with 1tbs of olive oil, salt and the remaining thyme and one garlic clove in a vacuum bag, seal and cook them in a preheated water bath at 83°C for 12 hours. Flake the cooked meat.
Wash and sauté the Trompette de la Mort mushrooms in butter, season and drain. Remove only the very green leaves of the cabbage, shred and blanch in salted water, refresh and drain.
Cook the rabbit loins in a non-stick frying pan with butter for about 5 – 6 minutes until slightly pink, rest the loins for 5 minutes before assembling the terrine.
Heat the stock and pour some of the hot stock over the cooked ham and flaked rabbit meat.
Line a terrine mould with clingfilm; build the terrine starting with the ham and some stock, followed by the cabbage and mushrooms, season after every third layer. Follow with the flaked rabbit meat, more mushrooms and cabbage, place the loins in and add more stock. Complete the terrine layer by layer until the mould is packed, make sure the last layer is a layer of ham, close the clingfilm over the terrine and place a heavy weight on top. Place the terrine in the fridge and leave to set over night.
Quince Chutney
250ml white wine vinegar
250g caster sugar
100g golden sultanas
1kg ripe quinces
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 large onion, finely diced
50g ginger, pureed
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Peel and dice the quinces into 1cm diced pieces. Place all the ingredients with seasoning in a large saucepan over low heat to dissolve the sugar.
Once the sugar has dissolved bring the mixture to a rapid boil and simmer until the chutney becomes thick. You will notice that the bubbles become laboured and heavier. Stir regularly to prevent the chutney from sticking.
Cook until the chutney is the right consistency.
To Serve
Slice the terrine 1.5cm thick, glaze with truffle oil and season if needed with sea salt flakes. Serve the terrine with a light salad and the quince chutney along with toasted brioche or sour dough bread. Serves 8-10.
