Before cooking a hare it must be skinned, and if intended for roasting it must be trussed, so as to give it a good effect. This is done in the following manner:

Chop off the feet of the first joints, lift the skin from the back, and draw it first over the hind legs and then over the fore legs; let the tail remain on with the hair; cut the skin from the head and ears, leaving the latter on, cut through the sinews of the legs, and bring the hind legs forward, passing a skewer through both of them as well as the body, and bring the fore legs back, passing a skewer through them also. Fix the head upright by means of a skewer thrust through the mouth to the back of the head and then into the back between the shoulders. Wipe the inside very dry, stuff, and sew it up. Pass a string round the ends of the skewers which fix the legs, drawing it over the back of the hare so as to keep the legs close up to the body.

A very popular mode of preparing hares for cooking is to remove the bones, and re-form the body in such a way that it may be carved without difficulty. The method of procedure for this boning is as follows:

The hare should be fresh. Skin and clean it as directed, and then with a sharp knife begin cutting down along the crest of the backbone, and dissect the flesh from the ribs. Do not disconnect the flesh, but leave it hanging. Separate the backbone from the head at the first joint of the neckbone, leaving the head on, then pass the knife carefully under the flesh down the middle of the back until the whole of the bone is clear. The legs may be either cut off or dissected out. The hollow from which the spine and ribs have been taken should next be stuffed with forcemeat or well-seasoned bread stuffing, the belly sewn together, and the hare fastened with string and skewers, in order to bring it into as nearly its original shape as possible.

Hares Backs With Poivrade Sauce

Remove the backs of a couple of hares, lard them with strips of firm bacon fat, wrap them round with buttered or oiled paper, place them on the spit in front of a clear fire, and roast until done. About five minutes before taking them from the fire, remove the paper so as to glaze them with thin liquor, put them on a dish, and serve poivrade sauce in a sauceboat.

Baked Hare

Select two nice hares, cut them into halves, separating the fore from the hind quarters. Bone the saddles down to the legs, but do not bone the legs; put them in a deep earthenware dish, pour in one wineglassful of white wine and add one fair-sized sliced lemon, one sliced and peeled onion and one sprig of thyme, seasoning with pepper, salt and two or three cloves. Roll the saddles well in the seasoning several times and place one side to steep for twelve or fourteen hours. Take out the pieces, stuff the bone saddles with a rich stuffing, give them a round shape and tie them so as to hold them firmly. Place a piece of fat pork over each saddle, put them in a roastingpan with one carrot and one onion cut into slices and placed at the bottom of the pan, and pour over one pint of broth. Put the pan in a hot oven and bake for forty-five to fifty minutes, taking care to baste frequently with the gravy that comes from them. Take them from the oven, untie, dress on a hot dish, strain the gravy over the saddles, decorate the dish with heart-shaped croutons, and serve. The fore quarters can be used for civets or other dishes.