Cooking Rabbit
When roasting whole, bard or lard with pork back fat, or wrap in caul to keep the flesh moist and tender. Or bone the main body and fill with a stuffing. Baste the rabbit frequently during cooking.
Marinate in wine or olive oil, with aromatic vegetables and seasonings, before cooking to help tenderize the meat.
Poach or braise young rabbits; stew or casserole older ones.
Use a rabbit to make a terrine. Grind the rabbit meat with 2 shallots and mix in 2 eggs, two-thirds cup heavy cream, 2 tbsp. shelled pistachios, 1 tbsp. dried cranberries, 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, and seasonings. Place in a terrie lined with bacon slices and bake in a bain-marie at 350 degrees F for 2 hours. Add 1 and one-quarter cups liquid aspic after cooking. Allow to cool and refrigerate until set.
Jointing a Rabbit
Although rabbit can be roasted whole (stuffed or unstuffed), it is most often cut into pieces and cooked slowly in a casserole or stew. Wild rabbits (wild whole, fresh or vacuum packed) will require jointing. Farmed rabbit, although available as saddle or legs, may still need to be cut into smaller pieces before cooking.
Lay the rabbit, on its back, on a chopping board and cut the legs away from the main carcass with a large chef's knife. (To cut right through the bone, it may be necessary to tap the back of the knife with a kitchen weight or mallet, protecting the back of the knife with a cloth.)
Cut down the center of the legs to separate them. Then divide each leg in two, cutting through the knee joint. Cut the body into three or four pieces, making the last cut just below the ribcage
Cutting lengthwise through the center of the breastbone, divide the ribcage section in half. If you wish to remove small bones from the flesh around the breastbone, use pliers or pull them with your fingers.