Rabbit And Exotic Mushroom Pot Pie Recipes

RABBIT AND VEGETABLE POT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large saute pan. Lightly flour rabbit pieces and brown in batches in the oil. Remove rabbit and set aside. In the same pan, lightly brown the shallots, garlic and onions in oil remaining in the pan. Add mushrooms, carrot, turnip and celery and cook for a minute more. Stir in tomato paste and tarragon. Add the wine and brandy and simmer for five minutes to reduce.
• Transfer to an ovenproof 10-quart stock pot. Add the stock, bouquet garni, tomatoes and browned rabbit and bring to a boil. Cover and cook in a preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
• Remove rabbit and vegetables to a platter, reserving all liquid in pot; discard the bouquet garni. Debone rabbit, keeping pieces of meat as large as possible. Divide the meat among eight individual two-cup casseroles. Distribute cooked vegetables and raw peas evenly among the casseroles.
• Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve into a pot. Reduce it over high heat to about four cups. Strain the liquid again, return to pot and whisk in the cornstarch mixture, a teaspoon at a time. Cook it until the sauce is very thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the sauce among the casseroles. (Casseroles can be prepared up to this point and refrigerated overnight.)
• To finish the pot pies, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the puff pastry an eighth of an inch thick. Cut into rounds an inch larger in diameter than the casseroles. Place pastry rounds on top of casseroles and crimp to sides; brush pastry with beaten eggs. Bake until pastry is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

EXOTIC MUSHROOM PIZZA

Steps:

• Put pizza stone in oven and heat to 425 degrees. While stone is heating, brush olive oil evenly over shell and bake 5 to 7 minutes or until oil bubbles. (If using thin crust pizza, you can eliminate pre-baking of the pizza crust.)
• While shell bakes begin cooking the mushrooms. Heat saute or fry pan on high heat, add the oil, garlic and shallots and quickly saute for approximately 30 seconds. Do not allow the garlic/shallot mixture to burn.
• Add mushrooms to hot pan, saute quickly until most of the mushroom juices have evaporated (3 to 5 minutes), then add wine. Continue to saute until wine completely evaporates and mushrooms have turned a darker shade or brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove mushroom mixture from heat.
• Remove shell from oven (leave stone in oven to keep it hot) and allow to cool slightly. Spread the gorgonzola cheese evenly over the warm crust so that it melts slightly. You can dip your fingers in olive oil to spread the gorgonzola. Spread the mushroom mixture evenly over the crust. Add the Fontina cheese, distributing it as evenly as possible. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Place on hot stone in oven and bake 12 to 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. Cool and cut into small rectangles for hors d'oeuvres or into pie-shaped pieces for first course or main course portions. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• This recipe can be adjusted to suit personal taste such as adding dried, red hot pepper or use different cheeses; however you should not eliminate the gorgonzola. It can be served with champagne as an hors d'oeuvre and with dry red wine as an appetizer or main course with a tossed salad.

THYME ROASTED CARROTS AND RABBIT BITS A LA MOUTARDE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add the carrots to a large cast-iron pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil and add the garlic and thyme. Toss to combine, then roast until tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish.
• Meanwhile, heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Pat the livers and kidneys dry, then split the hearts in half lengthwise and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons butter to the pan and bring to a foam, then add the rabbit hearts and cook for 2 minutes. Add the livers and kidneys and cook on each side until golden but still rare, about 3 minutes more. Remove the rabbit bits from the pan and set aside.
• To the same pan, add the chicken stock, Dijon and whole-grain mustard and bring to a simmer. Add the remaining tablespoon butter and creme fraiche and stir until melted. Add the seared rabbit bits, chives and parsley. Stir until just combined and turn off the heat. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Spoon over the roasted carrots and garnish with the chervil.

VEGETABLE AND MUSHROOM POT PIE

Steps:

• For the mushroom stock: In a large pot, combine onion, carrots, garlic, ground dried mushrooms, fresh white mushrooms and 10 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours; there will be about 4 cups. Pour through a strainer lined with cheesecloth, reserving stock and discarding the solids.
• Return stock to the pot, and add tomatoes. Place over high heat and boil until reduced by half. Strain into a clean pot, and return to medium heat. Knead together the butter and flour, and add to the broth. Simmer for 5 minutes, and add lemon juice, Madeira, and salt and pepper to taste. Cool the stock by placing the pot in a large bowl of ice, then cover and refrigerate until well-chilled. May be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 2 months.
• For the filling: In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add fresh wild or cultivated mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms release their liquid, 5 to 7 minutes, and immediately remove from heat. Add the liquid to the chilled mushroom stock. Cover and refrigerate the mushrooms until well-chilled; there should be about 1 cup cooked mushrooms.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and set aside a large bowl of ice water. Cook or blanch vegetable one at time until each is barely tender, about 10 minutes for fingerling potatoes, 5 minutes for whole baby carrots, parsnips or turnips. Leeks and squash do not need to be blanched. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and place in the ice water to cool. When all vegetables are blanched and cooled, drain the vegetables, cover and refrigerate until well-chilled; there should be about 3 cups cooked vegetables.
• For assembly: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide chilled vegetables and mushrooms between two 1-quart ceramic soufflé dishes about 6 inches in diameter and 3 1/2 inches deep. Pour 1 cup chilled stock into each dish; reserve any remaining stock for another use. Top each dish with 1 tablespoon chopped herbs and 1/2 tablespoon truffle butter, if using.
• Cut rounds of puff pastry large enough to overhang the dish by 1 1/2 to 2 inches. In a small bowl or cup, beat the egg with the milk. Brush the edge of each round with the egg wash, then invert and place on the dish so the egg helps seal the dish. The puff pastry should not touch the filling or it won't puff when cooked. Brush tops of pies with remaining egg wash. Place dishes on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Check to see if pastry is golden, and if necessary, bake 5 to 10 more minutes.
• To serve, run a sharp knife around the inside edge of each dish, lifting off the dome in one piece. Place the dome at an angle, top side down, and ladle the vegetables onto half the dome so they spill onto the plate like a cornucopia.

RABBIT & MUSHROOM HOTPOT

Steps:

• Turn the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Heat the oil in a deep flameproof and ovenproof casserole dish. Add the rabbit pieces, then fry briefly until browned. Lift from the dish onto a plae, add mushrooms to the dish, then quickly stir-fry. Lift from the dish and take off the heat.
• Layer half the potatoes into the dish then, seasoning with salt and pepper as you layer, top with half the onions, mushrooms and rosemary, then top with the rabbit. Now follow with the rest of the onions, mushrooms, rosemary and a neat layer of potatoes. Pour over the stock and brush potatoes with oil.
• Put back on the heat and bring to the boil, then cover and put in the oven for 1 hour 15 mins. Take off the lid, then return to the oven at 220C/fan 200C/gas 7 for 30 mins more to brown the top. Serve with Savoy cabbage cooked with butter, a dash of water and a sprinkling of caraway seeds.