Fillets Of Rabbits It La Pompadour

Take the fillets of four young rabbits; cut each fillet into two, lengthways, and keep them as long as possible. Make a sauce d'attelets (See Same d'Attelets), put the fillets into the seasoning after having dusted them over with salt and pepper. Let this preparation cool, without however getting quite cold, yet sufficiently so as to enable you to lay some round the fillets. Next dip the fillets once into crumbs of bread: then break three eggs into an earthen pan with a little salt, beat them, throw in the fillets, dip them again lightly a second time into crumbs of bread, and fry them of a nice colour. Dish them in the shape of a pile, which could not be done if they were not kept crisp. Send up with the sauce it la Pompadour in the middle.

Attereaux Of Rabbits A L' Italienne

Take the fillets of four young rabbits; cut them into pieces of an inch square; then have some mushrooms, parsley and shalots, chopped fine; put them to fry gently in a small bit of butter over a slow fire till they are done, then put the bits of rabbits to fry gently in those herbs; and when nearly done, drain them, and season them with a little salt and pepper; take the sweet herbs with which they have been stewed, and make a sauce d'attelets in the following manner: put a spoonful of flour to the herbs, and mix it well with a wooden spoon; moisten with a few spoonfuls of good consomme; let the whole boil till the flour is quite done; skim off the butter; reduce the sauce thick, and then thicken it with the yolks of two eggs; throw into this the square pieces you have prepared; then let them get quite cold; next take some silver skewers, have a few pieces of calf's udder ready done, of half the breadth of the pieces of rabbits, but not so thick ; run a skewer first through one of the pieces of rabbit, dipped into the sauce, and next through a piece of the udder, and so on; observing however, to have a piece of rabbit at each end. Do not stuff the attelet too full, for some of it must project at each end. Put plenty of the sauce, and give a square shape to the above preparation; then dip it into crumbs of bread; next, when of a good, shape, into an omelette well seasoned: and into crumbs of bread a second time; then fry it till of a fine colour, and send up with a brown Italienne mixed with a little glaze of rabbit, or the white sharp sauce.

There are many entrees of rabbits, which I omit mentioning in this present edition; such as the bressole, pains of rabbits, profitrolles, etc. etc. which are now quite out of fashion, for fashion prevails in our art as in all others. A veteran cook may still make good dishes, but they will not catch the eye, as the phrase goes. In the common way many entrees may be made with the legs of rabbits; but as many dishes of game are not to be sent up at a time, provided you have fillets, it is better to used the legs for farces, or petty patties, or croquettes, etc. etc.

Rabbits And Onions

As this dish is of the English school, it will not require many observations; but I shall recommend that old rabbits be never used, as they always spoil both the taste and the look.

Take one or two rabbits, skin them and skewer them as for boiling; put them into warm water in order to extract all the blood: when they are very white, boil them in boiling water and a little salt, to prevent them from skimming. An hour is sufficient to boil them if they are young ; the sauce as follows: peel a dozen of white onions, cut the tops and the tails off, then cut them into six pieces, put them to boil in boiling water and a little salt; when nearly done, drain them on a sieve, put them into a clean towel, squeeze out the water, then chop them very fine on the table; put them into a stew-pan, with half a quarter of a pound of butter, let them fry to drain the water away: then put half a spoonful of flour, mix well together, and moisten with cream or milk, according to your means; cream is preferable: next let this sauce reduce on a sharp fire, put some salt and pepper to it, and make it rather thick. Drain the rabbits, and cover them with this sauce.

Rabbit Soup

This soup is made almost in the same way as the soup a la Reine. Take the fillets of four rabbits to make an entree, and with the legs and shoulders make the soup as follows: put them into warm water to take out the blood; when quite clean, put them into a stew-pan with a bundle of parsley and a ladleful of good broth; put all this to simmer over a slow fire; when done through, moisten with some good broth. Season it of a good taste, and let it boil for an hour only: if you let it boil too long, the soup will be brown: next take the meat out of the broth, drain it, and let it cool, then pick all the meat from the bones, and put it into the mortar, with four yolks of eggs boiled hard, and the crumb of a penny loaf soaked in a little broth; pound all this very fine; rub it through a tammy, moisten with the broth, and when done, add to it a pint of double cream that has boiled; mix all together, and serve up; take particular notice, that this soup must be very white; sometimes you give it with vermicelli, sometimes with pearl barley, sometimes with rice; on all occasions, each of these articles must be done separately in broth, and put into the soup afterwards. If you should be with a nobleman who has an abundance of rabbits, you may use also the fillets, as the soup will then be whiter and better.