Hare with Vinegar and Pepper Sauce

Name: Hare with Vinegar and Pepper Sauce (Lièvre, Sauce Poivrade)
Yield: Makes 6 Main-Course Servings
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 medium-size onion, peeled and sliced; 1 medium-size carrot, peeled and sliced; 2 tablespoons olive oil; freshly ground black pepper; 4 cups [1 l] good-quality homemade or salt-free beef broth or brown chicken broth; 1 cup [250 ml] white wine; ½ cup [125 ml] excellent-quality white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar, or more as needed to finish the sauce; 12 black peppercorns; 2 tablespoons butter; 1 medium-size bouquet garni; salt; 2 hares (4 pounds [1.8 kg] each, dressed), or 3 hares (292 to 3 pounds [1.1 to 1.3 kg] each, dressed)

Lièvre, Sauce Poivrade

Preparation info

Makes
6
Main-Course Servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Glorious French Food

By James Peterson

Published 2002

About

This dish has a natural economy because the lean and tender saddle of hare is cooked quickly in butter while the thighs, forelegs, and ribs are braised for 3 hours (the braising can be done in advance), and the braising liquid then converted into a sauce for both.

Ingredients

2 hares (4 pounds [1.8 kg] each, dressed), or 3

Europe
France
Main course
Gluten-free
Mediterranean

Method

Cut up each hare in the same way as a rabbit, but cut the forequarters away from the saddle closer to the forelegs—leave more ribs attached to the saddle on both sides—so you don’t waste any of the loin meat. Trim off the ends of the ribs and the flaps, using a knife and/or a pair of kitchen shears. Season this elongated saddle with salt and pepper, tie it up