1357.—RABBIT, BOILED. (Fr.—Lapin bouilli.)
Ingredients.—1 rabbit, 1 onion, 1 carrot, ½ a turnip, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 6 peppercorns, salt, onion sauce (see Sauces, No. 265), boiled or fried bacon.
Method.—Truss the rabbit (see Notes on Trussing), put it into boiling water; when the water re-boils add the vegetables cut into large pieces, the bouquet-garni, peppercorns, and a teaspoonful of salt. Cook gently from 45 to 60 minutes, according to the age and size of the rabbit. Remove the skewers, serve on a hot dish, coat with onion sauce, and send the remainder to table in a sauce-boat. Serve the bacon on a separate dish, unless small rolls are preferred, when they may be used as garnish. The liquor in which the rabbit was cooked may be served separately as broth, or afterwards converted into a white soup.
Time.—From 45 to 60 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 9d. to 2s. Sufficient, one large rabbit for 4 persons.
1358.—RABBIT, CREAM OF. (Fr.—Créme de Lapin.)
Ingredients.—½ a lb. of raw rabbit, ¼ of a pint of THICK white sauce (No. 221), 1 small egg. salt and pepper, ½ a pint of brown sauce (No. 233).
Method.—Chop the flesh of the rabbit finely, or pass it 2 or 3 times through a mincing machine, and pound it in a mortar until smooth. Work in the egg, add the white sauce, season well with salt and pepper, and pass the mixture through a fine sieve. Press lightly into 6 or 8 well-buttered bomb or other small moulds, steam gently until firm, and serve with the brown sauce strained over the dish.
Time.—To steam the moulds, from 15 to 20 minutes. Average Cost, about 2s. Sufficient for 6 or 8 moulds. Seasonable from September to March.
Fecundity of the Rabbit.—The reproduction of this animal has been the subject of wonder to all naturalists. It breeds seven times in the year, and generally begets seven or eight young ones at a time. If we suppose this to happen regularly for a period of four years, the progeny that would spring from a single pair would amount to more than a million. The rabbit, however, has many enemies, and its numbers are largely kept down by carnivorous animals of every description. As previously mentioned, in the time of the Roman power rabbits once infested the Balearic Islands to such an extent that the inhabitants were obliged to implore the assistance of a military force from Augustus to exterminate them.
1359.—RABBIT, CURRIED. (Fr.—Lapin au Kari.)
Ingredients.—1 rabbit, 4 or 5 ozs. of cooked rice, 3 ozs. of butter or fat, 2 onions, 1 apple, ¾ of a pint of stock, 1 tablespoonful of curry-powder, 1 tablespoonful of flour, the juice of a lemon. Salt.
Method.—Wash the rabbit, dry it thoroughly, and divide it into small joints; slice the apple and the onions. Heat the butter or fat in a stewpan, fry the rabbit until lightly browned, remove it, put in the onions, and when they have acquired a deep brown colour add the curry-powder and flour, and fry for 10 minutes. Now put in the stock, and when boiling replace the rabbit, add the apple, salt to taste, cover, and
