(In English Below)
Peu de plats sont aussi représentatifs de la cuisine traditionnelle de notre beau pays. Le lapin à la moutarde se place en haut du tableau avec le Bourguignon, les escargots, la soupe à l’oignon, les cuisses de grenouille…
J’aime aussi ce plat car il représente “notre douce France”; la France rurale avec ses fermes, ses poulaillers et ses clapiers à lapin (avec la deuche dans la grange bien sur :0)
La recette varie non seulement selon la région, mais aussi et surtout selon les traditions familiales. Nous avons bien là le plat de grand mère par excellence!
Ma recette est simple et rapide. Vos commentaires sont, comme toujours, les bienvenus.
Pour 4 personnes:
- Faites dorer 5 cuisses et avant cuisses de lapin dans une cocotte en fonte avec un peu d’huile. A feu moyen pendant un peu plus de 10 minutes
- Sortez la viande et réservez la
- Dans la cocotte, placez 1 bel oignon ciselé et faites le revenir à feu doux pendant 2 minutes.
- Ajoutez une grosse cuillère à soupe de moutarde de Dijon et mélangez bien
- Ajoutez un verre de vin blanc sec, salez et poivrez.
- Lorsque le mélange est presque sec, ajoutez un verre de crème fraiche liquide (pas de saleté allégée!!!)
- Faites réduire votre sauce jusqu’à obtenir la consistance désirée
- Remettre la viande dans la sauce pour la réchauffer
- Servez bien chaud sur un lit de pâtes fraiches
Attention: Je n’utilise que les pattes avant du lapin. Le reste de la viande de lapin est trop sèche à mon goût.
Saviez vous que les graines de moutarde ne sont pas forte? C’est leur fermentation dans le vinaigre ou le verjus qui donne son goût et sa force à la moutarde. Les graines utilisées à Dijon sont très fines et noires. 80% d’entre elles sont importées du Canada.
La vraie moutarde de Dijon est faite avec du verjus et non du vinaigre. Il n’y à malheureusement pas d’AOC pour la moutarde de Dijon…
Few dishes are as representative of traditional French cuisine. Rabbit in mustard sauce stands with very few true traditional culinary icons with Beef Bourguignon escargots, onion soup, frog legs, cassoulet and bouillabaisse…
I like this dish because it represents what we call our “Douce France” or sweet France: rural France with its farms, chicken coops and rabbit hutches and the Citroen 2cv in the barn of course :0)
The recipe varies not only from one region of France to the next, but also with each family tradition. This is a typical grandmother dish!
My recipe is simple and fast:
For 4 people:
- Brown 5 front legs with thighs in a cast iron pot with a little canola oil. On medium heat for a little over 10 minutes
- Remove the meat from the pot and keep it on the side
- In the pot, place 1 yellow onion finely chopped and cook it over low heat for 2 minutes.
- Add a big tablespoon of Dijon mustard and mix well
- Add a glass of dry white wine, salt and black pepper
- When the mixture is almost dry, add a glass of heavy cream
- Boil down the sauce until you get the desired consistency
- Put the meat back in the sauce to warm it up
- Serve hot on a bed of fresh pasta
I only use the front legs of the rabbit. The rest of the meat is too dry for my taste.
Did you know that mustard seeds aren’t strong to the taste? It is their fermentation in vinegar or verjuice that produces a chemical reaction that gives its flavor and that famous mustard strength.
True Dijon mustard is made with sour grapes and not vinegar. That’s where its inimitable taste comes from.
City of Dijon:
MY FRENCH HEAVEN 
There is no substitute for delicious, real Dijon mustard. Lovely recipe with the Dijon, mustard and cream! Your photos are fantastic – and they always tell a story.
Thank you so much dear Shanna! And you are right, there is no substitute for authentic Dijon musard 🙂
🙂 Happy Sunday and happy cooking!
Bonjour Stéphane, je suis très heureuse d’ avoir découvert votre blog, qui vraiment, mais vraiment appétissant! Je ne suis pas Française mais le lapin à la moutarde était un classique de ma maman, et j’en suis nostalgique… ça me donne le goût d’en préparer un!
Chère Catherine, je suis bien heureux que le blog vous plaise. Mon but est d’encourager les gens à se remettre à la cuisine 🙂 Merci encore!!
You have such an incredible way of showcasing food. I always want to devour your creations! We were raised on rabbit but it never looked that good. 🙂 Momma would roast it in a big pan and it was more dry than not.
Thanks Leilani! Your comments are always so thoughtful. You cheer me up every time 😉 🙂
I couldn’t help giggling when I saw that first photo 🙂
🙂
looks beautiful
Why thank you Dennis!
First off, I adore that painting in the background with the rabbit and the bald eagle! Second, this recipe sounds wonderful; I don’t get a lot of rabbit here but I think I will try this with some other protein soon, perhaps chicken thighs. Third, I’m really happy to see your jar of Maille dijon mustard because I’m quite the snob about it only using Maille and now I can say that “I know a Frenchman who uses it!”
What a lovely comment Carey! This recipe will work perfectly with chicken! 😉
I wish rabbit was easier to come by here where I live. I love it and this mustard sauce looks wonderful…like everything else you cook. 🙂
Try it with chicken darling! 😉
Ahhh…fantastic idea!
Wonderful photography and the recipe sounds utterly delicious.
Rabbits are terrible vermin here in Australia so I can’t possibly feel guilty about eating them. 😉 (Unfortunately, their meat is unbelievably expensive.)
Yikes I am only so adventurous and don’t think I could eat a bunny unless I was starving! The ingredients aside from that sound good to me:)
I understand completely! The same recipe is great with chicken as well 😉
Hi Stéphane, I love the simplicity of your recipe and the first photo is simply superb! I often find rabbit dry too, so I’m intrigued by your statement that the front legs are the best part. When I can find fresh rabbit (I don’t want to buy it frozen because then it will be even drier…), it is often just the hind legs. It is often tough as well, which is why I used to braise it for a longer time rather than the 10 mins you mention. Now I always cook it sous-vide, which makes for very tender and juicy rabbit (also the hind legs). Next time I will prepare it with your sauce!
Fascinating! I MUST remember this for when I visit France in December/January. That should be a lovely winter-warmer!
That’s great! Where are you going in France if I may ask?
Alsace region, for the Christmas markets, and Paris. Will hopefully visit the rest of France in warmer weather 🙂
Stephane! Congratulations on the versatile blogger award. Nice job. I think wordpress is acting strange. None of my likes or comments are showing up. You could be editing the comments, but I’m pretty consistent looking at your content. How else will my photography get better? I must see what the master is doing. Hugs.
You are sweet my darling Janet! The comments don’t show up because I just don’t have the time to process them right when they come in. So sorry. I hope you keep sending your sweet little notes to me. They never fail to make me smile and feel happy 😉 🙂
ciao! you captions transport to the douce france. i am thanking your grand mère…somehow these are the absolute most treasured recipes…they tell a story. will be trying it with chicken as well 🙂
thebestdressup
Culinary traditions are so important in any culture!
I’m so going to try this! I’m so happy now that we’re settled in our apartment in Béziers, with the Internet! I’ll have to spend days catching up on my favorite blogs, like My French Heaven. So much reading to do, and never disappointed. Thanks for taking so much time to write great posts and the photography is amazing 🙂
You are very kind Jennifer! I loved your post with the gorgeous baguettes!
We get rabbit meat every once in a while, next time I think I will be testing your recipe! Thanks for sharing!
You are most welcome Laila!
A classic! I have to admit that I call my cat “mon lapin” and I just can’t… But this is the sauce I use for veal kidneys (go figure, hein?). J’espère que vous me pardonnez avoir fait référence à votre blogue sur le mien. Je retirerai la mention si vous me le demandez. Bonne journée.
Not at all! I love your post on the “crème d’artichauts”. Thanks for your kind words too!
This sounds very tasty! Maybe I will try this out with chicken also!
It is great with chicken!
What a tasty and beautiful recipe!! prepared with the same Mustard I use to buy since years:::)) MMMM…Simple and fast you said?? 🙂 I must absolutely try it!!
Thanks my dear! Do try it. You won’t be disappointed!!
The recipe sounds delicious….but I can’t quit looking at your gorgeous photographs in this post. First one left me speechless.
Thank you so much for the nice compliment! I had fun propping that one… I thought of putting a real bunny on the table but that would have been a step too far 😉
I just found someone at our local market who sells rabbit, so I will try this dish! Thank you for the tip about the front legs–I had no idea about this!
That’s great Deanna! Please tell me how you like it!!
All that and fabulous pictures too. Lovely post.
Thanks Linda!
Reblogged this on The Jackson Diner.
I’m with Johnny, the first photo with the rabbit painting made me smile. Rabbits are a pest in Australia, so I can eat them with a clear conscience, Walt Disney or no. 🙂
Good for you! Do try the recipe and let me know how it goes 😉
Looks great!
😉
To me, this sounds like a typically french meal. It sounds delicious.
It really is very French indeed 😉
really loving the photos! mustard and rabbit sounds like a fantastic combination!
Thanks Sonya! Please try it and let me know what you think!!
Yum!! Don’t have much time to cook now as our moving date is this Friday, but this sounds delicious. I think I’d like a good mouse recipe as those little critters like to invade my pantry and, if they can’t eat something, they drop droppings everywhere. But I’m winning the battle. 🙂 Just got back from happy hour with my s-i-l and had some wonderful Pinot. Would that go with rabbit. 😦
janet
It might. It is also great with a Chardo 😉
Loved all the photos but especially the first one, very cute with the portrait of the rabbit in the background! This recipe looks delicious but simple to make.
Thanks! It is quite simple. You may also want to try it with free range chicken… 😉
The recipe sounds delicious and your photos are just beautiful (as always)!! 🙂
Thank you so much dear friend!
Very nice. I like this recipe a lot and I love the opening photo. Priceless. 🙂
Thanks Richard! I hope you try it 😉
Sounds awesome. Learned something new today.
I’m so glad!
Reblogged this on Your Home with Karie Engels and commented:
My French Heaven has become a favorite site of mine to visit. Follow the link and you will see why….
Yum! I’m hungry! Can you send some of that to me?? 🙂
I would if I could Gabriela. Try the recipe with chicken. It is delicious as well 😉
I know rabbit is eaten typically in France and in Spain. I know when I first came to Spain I thought it was weird, funnily I’ve become accustomed now and dont think twice. However I remember mentioning rabbit in paella in my blog and I know many people form overseas got a bit of a shock. Anyway, this recipe must be delicious. And I love your first photo 😉
Thanks Sofia! I blame Walt Disney for the fact that most of the world won’t enjoy a good rabbit. I do understand them though. They are quite adorable…
That first photo is just brilliant! Besides a delicious recipe. Just loving that painting that brought a wry smile to my face.
I knew you’d like it Johnny. I can tell from the lighting and composition of your pictures that you enjoy this style of photography. I absolutely loved the pictures you took of the plums and pudding you made the other day! 😉
Looks amazing but I doubt I can eat a bunny. They’re just so adorable.
You can do the exact same recipe with chicken Julia. It might taste even better! I think bunnies are evil. Just kidding 🙂
This looks fantastic! I will have to wait until it gets cooler here but want to try to make it for sure.
That’s great! Let me know how it goes!
Absolutely adore this dish! Delighted to have your recipe, it sounds like it will be perfect. Thanks.
I hope you try it dear Annie. I’d love to know what you think! 😉