Lapin à la Moutarde (French Rabbit in Mustard Cream Sauce)

• 4 rabbit legs (about 220 g each, bone-in)
• 2 tbsp strong French mustard (moutarde forte)
• 1 tbsp olive oil, for the mustard coating
• a small drizzle of oil for the pot (about 1 tsp)
• fine salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 100 ml (10 cl) water, mostly reduced away
• 50 ml (5 cl) dry white wine, reduced (or a little apple juice)
• 200 ml (20 cl) pouring cream (crème liquide)

Method

The cook speaks French; every step is written here in English. Tap a time to watch that step in the video. For subtitles, tap CC in the video, then Settings › Subtitles › Auto-translate › English.

1. Heat the oven to 180 °C. Mix the mustard with a little salt, pepper and the olive oil to make a thick coating. 0:22
2. Brush the rabbit legs generously all over with the mustard mixture (it mellows in the oven). Put a drizzle of oil in a casserole, lay the legs in it and bake for about 10 minutes, just until lightly coloured. 0:36
3. Off the heat, pour the water in between the legs without washing off the crust. Bring briefly to the boil, cover and return to the oven at 180 °C for 15–20 minutes until cooked through. 1:04
4. Lift out the rabbit and reduce the cooking juices over medium heat until almost dry. Deglaze with the white wine and let it evaporate again. 1:22
5. Add the cream, bring to the boil, then simmer until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon. 1:51
6. Spoon the sauce over the rabbit legs and serve. 2:07

Tip. Serves 4 (one leg each). Rabbit legs vary; about 220 g with bone is typical. The chef suggests potatoes, mash, a little rice or green vegetables, with one side that soaks up the sauce; green beans or cauliflower mash keep it low in carbs.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.