Recipe: Hare Royale

Name: Hare Royale
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 300 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: For the hare:; 1 beautiful hare of about 6.5 lb (3 kg) (shot in the head); 14 oz (400 g) of pork fillet, peeled and cut into small dice; 10.5 oz (300 g) of pork fat, cut into small dice; 7 oz (200 g) of crumb of bread, trimmed and cut into small dice; 0.7 oz (20 g) of black truffle peelings, Mélanosporum; 2 cloves of garlic, degerminated and finely minced; Mixed herbs; 1.1 oz (30 g) of dried porcini mushrooms; 1 beautiful goose liver of about 21 oz (600 g); 1 beautiful black truffle (Mélanosporum) of about 1.75 oz (50 g); 4 free-range eggs; 0.8 cup (200 ml) of Burgundy marc or Prune de Souillac; Fine salt and freshly ground pepper; 4 squares of dark chocolate; Goose fat; Aromatic garnish:; 2 carrots, cut into small dice; 2 onions, cut into small dice; 1 celery stalk, cut into small dice; 1 bouquet garni; 2.1 cups (500 ml) of red wine; Guérande salt

By chef patrick Asfaux 4.9/5 (137 reviews) · 🍳 142 made it

Recipe Hare Royale - Chef Patrick Asfaux — Photo: Aftouch-cuisine

Prep 60 min

Cook 240 min

Total 5h

Servings 10 serv.

An emblematic recipe created after the war by Chef Gaston Richard and his second Marc Soustelle, inspired by the traditions of Lucas Carton. A prestige dish that celebrates French culinary craftsmanship. The ballotine requires three days in total: plucking and boning the day before, macerating the stuffing and bones for 24 hours, then 3 hours 30 minutes of cooking at very low simmer. The secret lies in three layers: lean and fat stuffing well bound with eggs, deveined goose liver lengthwise, black truffle in sticks. Serve with sautéed porcini mushroom caps and turned potatoes.

Ingredients for 10 servings

Adjust for

servings

For the hare:

1 beautiful hare of about 6.5 lb (3 kg) (shot in the head)
14 oz (400 g) of pork fillet, peeled and cut into small dice
10.5 oz (300 g) of pork fat, cut into small dice
7 oz (200 g) of crumb of bread, trimmed and cut into small dice
0.7 oz (20 g) of black truffle peelings, Mélanosporum
2 cloves of garlic, degerminated and finely minced
Mixed herbs
1.1 oz (30 g) of dried porcini mushrooms
1 beautiful goose liver of about 21 oz (600 g)
1 beautiful black truffle (Mélanosporum) of about 1.75 oz (50 g)
4 free-range eggs
0.8 cup (200 ml) of Burgundy marc or Prune de Souillac
Fine salt and freshly ground pepper
4 squares of dark chocolate
Goose fat

Aromatic garnish:

2 carrots, cut into small dice
2 onions, cut into small dice
1 celery stalk, cut into small dice
1 bouquet garni
2.1 cups (500 ml) of red wine
Guérande salt

Step-by-step directions

The day before:

1 Pluck the hare.

2 Open the body in half, carefully keeping the liver, heart and blood.

3 Bone the hare flat, being careful not to make holes.

Preparing the marinade:

4 Crush the hare bones, then add your aromatic garnish, dried porcini mushrooms, red wine, Guérande salt, cracked pepper, bouquet garni and let marinate covered for one day plus one night.

Making the stuffing:

5 In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix the diced pork fillet, diced pork fat, the mixture of heart and liver ground through a meat grinder, bread crumbs moistened with Burgundy marc, a few truffle peelings, salt, freshly ground pepper, mixed herbs, powdered garlic, then bind with 4 whole eggs. Let macerate in the cold, covered, for a whole day.

Preparing the hare:

6 On your work surface, lay out the boned hare and split the thighs to place part of them on the surface of the ribs.

7 Season with salt and pepper, spread a layer of stuffing then the deveined goose liver cut lengthwise, the truffle cut into large sticks and inserted lengthwise, then a second layer of stuffing.

8 Roll the hare like a sausage (ballotine).

9 On your work surface, lay out a sheet of parchment paper doubled, then oil it and place your ballotine on it.

Cooking the hare royale:

10 Take care of the marinade. Drain the bones on one side, the garnish on the other and the wine separately.

11 In a large heavy sauté pan or large casserole, brown your hare ballotine in a little goose fat on all sides, then add the bones and garnish. Let sweat gently covered for 30 minutes, then add the red wine from the marinade.

12 Cook for about 3 hours 30 minutes at very low simmer. Test it with a larding needle, which should go through easily without resistance.

13 Carefully transfer it to a wire rack, making sure to prick the ballotine with a meat fork all over the surface.

14 Reduce the sauce by one-third.

15 Grind the veins of foie gras through a meat grinder and add the animal's blood, then pour this mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and strain the sauce through it, which will thicken it.

16 Keep the sauce in a bain-marie because it cannot come back to a boil afterwards. Then add your dark chocolate squares, which will give your sauce its roundness and shine.

Serving the hare royale:

17 On a beautiful hot plate, arrange a slice of hare coated with your sauce, two potatoes prepared à l'anglaise, two croutons fried and golden, and around the edge, the sautéed porcini mushroom caps.

Chef Patrick's Comment

We have been serving this recipe since 1965 in our starred Parisian restaurant «À Sousceyrac» and all French presidents have tasted it: Mr. Pompidou often, Jacques Chirac and François Mitterrand occasionally, but also great chefs like Paul Bocuse, Joël Robuchon, Pierre Troisgros, etc. Now I pass the torch to you.

During the fantastic Hunting Dinner of the French Culinary Academy organized by Chef Nicolas Sale in the beautiful Ritz Hall in Paris, this wonderful dish was served at the heart of the meal with an exceptional wine, the Probus 2007 from Baldés, a marvel of Cahors that would not have seemed out of place alongside great Bordeaux wines and which amazed over a hundred prestigious guests.

Frequently asked questions

Can I replace goose liver with duck liver?

Yes, duck liver works. Use 450-500g to account for trimming losses. It will taste more robust, less sweet. Check the liver contains no bile (dark green), which would make everything bitter.

How do I tell if the ballotine is done without breaking it?

Use a trussing needle or toothpick. It should pass through the farce with light resistance, slightly elastic at the core. If it hits a bone, cook another 15 minutes. Always probe the same spot to track progress.

Can I prepare the farce and freeze it days ahead?

Yes, maximum three days cold, or frozen two weeks. Thaw in the fridge 12 hours before assembly. Never refreeze after cooking with foie gras: lipid oxidation degrades it. Roll the ballotine the morning of service.