Rabbit and Pork Brawn
I’ve written before about how to make a brawn from meats such a rabbit and pork and here is a variation on how it can be presented…
Brawn or head cheese as it is otherwise known is a delicious way of serving a joint or variety of meats which have been slowly cooked until meltingly tender into a presentation fit for the most discerning of gourmets.
I love to see a pan of gently simmering meats swimming around in a broth of chunky vegetables, when done properly the resulting stock is quite something and once out of the pan the meat just falls away from the bone…..
Cooked Meats for Making Brawn
Here’s a tray of rabbits cooked with a pork hock to give the whole thing a gelatinous bond and the vital fatty moisture rabbit surely needs. I cook the meats with chunks of onion and fennel which I like to chop up with the meats and use to flavour the brawn, the more you think about it the more it makes sense really; rabbits.. carrots… carrot tops.. dill..fennel, see the connection? That’s how I come up with my dishes, I just follow logical paths until I get to this…
Brawn of Rabbit and Pork
The rabbit and pork are flavoured with fennel, tarragon and chervil and served with a puree of spiced apple, wedges of caramelised apples, crisp pieces of air dried ham, pea shoots and a reduction of pork jus.
Miles,
Really excellent presentation. (and lovely DOF in the photo)
I haven’t eaten bunny all of this year for some reason. I wonder if I’m going soft on the little critters, but I’d polish your brawn dish off in a heartbeat.
Incidentally, a Dutch guy I used to work with said that head cheese in The Netherlands contains jellified pigs’ teeth. Not sure whether to trust him, he was a rather ardent exponent of Amsterdam’s finest.
GDave
June 30, 2009 @ 7:18 pm
GDave,
The dutch bloke might be right, they don’t waste much these continentals do they
Miles
June 30, 2009 @ 9:23 pm
That certainly looks like a winner - I love bunny rabbits, but that looks almost like artwork on a plate.
June 30, 2009 @ 9:57 pm
Dave,
“I love bunny rabbits” Dave, is that you? Now c’mon mate there’s no room for that sort of comment from you..you’re supposed to butcher them up!!
Seriously though, thanks. It’s pretty easy to plate up if you’ve got the mis en place, like anything I suppose.
Miles
June 30, 2009 @ 10:21 pm
How about, “I love bunny rabbits, especially when they are sizzling in my pan!”
July 1, 2009 @ 3:52 am
Dave,
Welcome back-I’ll put that down to heatstroke!!
Miles
July 1, 2009 @ 7:32 am