It seems slightly sacrilegious that we have to prepare rabbit the day before Easter. I’m sure the school didn’t plan it this way, so I suppose it’s luck of the draw. After having grown up with rabbits, it’s a little hard for me to grasp that I’m going to cook one.

During our demonstration, the chef places the skinned, pink rabbit on the marble counterpart. For fun, he stands it up and makes it dance across the counter. Then he refers to it at the Easter Bunny and promptly chops off its head. The whole episode makes my stomach churn, and I’m thankful that our practical is a couple days away. Once the rabbit is cooked, I do try a tiny piece. I have to admit that the meat is tender and moist, but I don’t think I’ll be eating much more.

The day of our practical arrives. I gather all my mis en place (ingredients that have been weighed, measured and chopped) and take a very deep breath. I take out the rabbit from the refrigerator and place it on my cutting board. It looks up at me with lifeless eyes, I realize I need to do this quickly. I thank it for giving up it’s life (and making a nice fur coat for some French woman), and begin.

With my cleaver, I cut off the head and throw it away. In demonstration the chef cuts though the head and removes the brain. I’m not opting for that preparation this time around. The liver and kidneys are set aside while the heart and lungs are thrown away. I then divide the rabbit into two hind legs, a saddle (the middle of the rabbit below the rib cage), two tiny rib roasts and two front legs. I then chop the remaining bones into small pieces for the sauce. The meat is shiny and a deep pink.

Once in pieces, I brown them lightly in butter and oil and brush them with a thick coating of Dijon mustard. The trimmings, garlic and rosemary are added to the pan and placed in the oven to cook through. In the meantime, I prepare potatoes that will be sliced and sautéed in more butter and oil. Hey, it’s France. What do you expect?!?

After 30 minutes I take the rabbit out of the oven, letting the meat rest and starting on the sauce. The pan is deglazed with white wine, shallots are added and then quite a bit of cream. Once reduced, more cream and mustard are added before straining over the rabbit pieces.

For plating, I cut in half one leg and stand it upright on the plate. I slice the saddle into paper-thin slices and fan out on the plate. The liver is cut in half and placed on top of the slices. Finishing touches include a ladle of sauce around the plate and the sautéed potatoes.

The chef is pleased with the flavors and presentation. The sauce is a bit too thick, but overall, I’ve done pretty well. I ask the chef if he wants the livers and kidneys, and he gladly accepts. The rest I box up in my Tupperware and take home to Madame and her family. They are thrilled and think it’s fabulous. I don’t have the heart to eat any, but I’m thankful that I did the rabbit justice by preparing it well.

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