Rabbit stew with preserved pears with ginger

4 hours, plus marinating time for the rabbit. Serves 4 to 8

PRESERVED PEARS WITH GINGER

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1⁄4 cup sugar

3⁄ 4 cup dry white wine

1 cup unsalted chicken broth

3 large Bosc pears (about 1 1⁄2 pounds)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium saucepan, combine the ginger, sugar and wine. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat and simmer until the syrup is reduced to 3 tablespoons. Add the broth and bring to a boil, stirring.

2. Meanwhile, peel, halve and core the pears. Arrange, cut sides down, in a single layer in a large buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the lemon juice. Pour the syrup over the pears.

3. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown and glazed, about 45 minutes. Baste often with the syrupy juices. Sprinkle with the remaining lemon juice. If not used at once, set aside at room temperature for up to 8 hours and reheat gently before serving; do not refrigerate.

RABBIT STEW

3 large shallots, halved

2 cloves garlic, halved

1⁄4 cup olive oil

3 cups dry white wine, divided

2 rabbits, cut into serving pieces (about 4 pounds dressed weight)

1⁄3 cup rendered duck or goose fat

5 ounces lean salt pork, blanched in water for 5 minutes and cut into 1-inch cubes

1⁄2 teaspoon herbes de Provence

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3 onions (about 3⁄4 pound), thinly sliced

Scant 1⁄2 cup Dijon mustard, divided

2 egg yolks

Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup heavy cream

Juice of 1⁄2 lemon

3 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Preserved pears with ginger

1. In a large glass or non-reactive bowl, combine the shallots, garlic, olive oil and half of the wine. Add the rabbit pieces and turn them over until well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days, turning the rabbit pieces once or twice a day. If the rabbit is frozen, defrost it directly in the marinade.

2. About 3 hours before serving, remove the rabbit pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Strain the marinade, reserving the garlic and shallots separately from the liquid.

3. Heat the oven to 300 degrees. In a large skillet, heat the fat. Sauté the salt pork, transferring the pieces to a 4-quart casserole as they are browned. In the same skillet, brown the rabbit pieces a few at a time, on both sides, transferring them to the casserole as they are browned. Sprinkle the rabbit and the pork cubes with the herbs, salt and pepper to taste.

4. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet. Add the onions to the skillet along with the reserved garlic and shallots. Sauté over moderately high heat, stirring to avoid burning, until soft and golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in one-third cup of the mustard with the juices in the bottom of the casserole until well blended.

5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the onions, shallots and garlic to the casserole. Deglaze the skillet with the strained marinade liquid and bring to a boil, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Add the remaining 1 1⁄2 cups wine and return to a boil. Skim again and pour the boiling liquid over the rabbit and onions. Cover with crumpled wet parchment or waxed paper and a tight-fighting lid.

6. Set the casserole in the oven and cook until the rabbit is meltingly tender, about 2 hours. (To avoid stringy rabbit, do not rush the cooking; if the rabbit is not tender, let it slowly finish cooking in the oven.) Remove the rabbit pieces to a warm bowl; cover and keep moist. (The recipe can be done up to this point in advance. Leave the rabbit pieces in the sauce. Gently reheat, then remove the pieces to a warm bowl and continue with the recipe.)

7. Strain the cooking liquid, pushing down on the vegetables to extract all their juices. Quickly cool the liquid and remove any fat that surfaces. Place the juices in a heavy saucepan over moderately high heat and bring to a boil. Shift the pan so that only half of it is over the heat. Slowly boil down to 1 cup, skimming often.

8. About 5 minutes before serving, whisk together the egg yolks, nutmeg, remaining mustard and cream in a small bowl until wellblended. Whisk a few tablespoons of the hot reduced cooking juices into the egg yolk mixture, then whisk the mixture back into the saucepan. Heat gently, whisking until the sauce thickens. Do not allow the sauce to boil. Add the lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the chives. Spoon the sauce over the rabbit and serve hot with the preserved pears with ginger.

EACH OF 8 SERVINGS

Calories............................................................860 Protein ...................................................60 grams Carbohydrates ......................................31 grams Fiber ..........................................................3 grams Fat............................................................46 grams Saturated fat ..........................................17 grams Cholesterol ................................................261 mg Sugar .......................................................17 grams Sodium ......................................................589 mg

NOTE: Adapted from “The Cooking of Southwest France” by Paula Wolfert, who writes, “This combination of mustard-flavored rabbit stew and gingered pears is most unusual and exciting to the palate. Though wild rabbits are particularly flavorful, this recipe will work very well with the farm-bred variety.”