CookEat Recipe

Cream-Basted Spit-Roasted Hare

Hare hindquarters marinated in a cooled vinegar and shallot infusion, studded with cured fatback and slowly roasted with cream.

Method

Steps

  1. Step 1

    Gather the ingredients: Hare hindquarters, about 1 kg bone-in, legally supplied and professionally prepared without internal organs; 600 ml water; 100 ml white wine vinegar, or a little less to taste; 3 shallots, cut into large pieces; 2 bay leaves; A small bunch of parsley; Salt and black pepper; 60 g plain cured pork fatback, cut into slender strips; 150 ml pasteurized dairy cream, used as needed.

  2. Step 2

    Put the water, vinegar, shallots, bay leaves, parsley, a little salt and pepper in a saucepan. Boil for 5–6 minutes, then cool promptly and refrigerate until fully cold. Have the hare’s tough outer membranes removed without cutting deeply into the muscles.

  3. Step 3

    Put the hare in a snug nonreactive container, pour over the cold infusion, cover and refrigerate at 4°C or colder for 12–14 hours, turning occasionally. Do not pour warm marinade over the meat or leave it on the counter.

  4. Step 4

    Remove the hare, discard the used infusion and aromatics, and pat the meat dry. Using a larding needle, insert the thin fatback strips throughout the hindquarters. Season with salt as needed, remembering the cured fat is already salty, and secure on the rotisserie.

  5. Step 5

    Preheat for gentle indirect roasting at about 170–180°C with a drip pan below. Roast for about 1½–2 hours, depending on thickness, basting periodically with cream only. Pour small amounts into a separate cup for each basting so a used brush does not contaminate the remaining cream. Continue until the thickest hare and the larded channels reach at least 74°C and the meat is tender. Rest briefly, remove any string and carve. The marinade is not served as a sauce. The total time estimate allows a 12-hour marinade; using 14 hours adds about 2 hours.

Cooked it? Rate it.

Cooked 0 times

Not rated yet

Sign in to participate