Seared Rabbit Tenderloin with Arugula Purée, Figs, and Goat Cheese
I was looking for a couple recipes to try on my days off last week, and this rabbit dish from one of Charlie Trotter’s books caught my eye. It was the flavor combination that attracted my attention: mildly gamey rabbit, peppery, bitter arugula, sweet figs, and rich goat cheese. So I bought a frozen rabbit from the meat market, thawed it out, and cut it into six pieces – the tenderloins for this dish, and the legs for an Italian sauteed rabbit dish.
This was the first time I cooked rabbit, so I looked for a guide to the butchery and found a great one here – it’s actually a lot like butchering chicken, and the cuts are easy to learn.
I’m writing this in March so of course figs are not in season. I used dried figs instead, plumped in white wine, and they were delicious.
Heat & Knives
The Recipe
Source: Workin’ More Kitchen Sessions With Charlie Trotter
For the Arugula Purée:
1 1/2 cups loosely packed arugula leaves
1 cup firmly packed spinach leaves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Rabbit and Arugula Salad:
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
4 rabbit tenderloins
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup julienned yellow onion
1/8 teaspoon minced garlic
4 fresh figs, cut into sixths
2 cups firmly packed arugula leaves
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
For the Goat Cheese:
1/2 cup soft fresh goat cheese
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Garnish:
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped opal basil
freshly ground black pepper
Prepare the Arugula Purée:
Place the arugula, spinach, olive oil, and water in a blender and purée until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Warm slightly just prior to serving.
Prepare the Rabbit and Arugula Salad:
Heat the grapeseed oil in a sauté pan over high heat. Season the rabbit with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until just cooked through. Remove from the pan, let rest 2 minutes, and then slice thinly on the diagonal. Add the olive oil, onion, and garlic to the same pan and sauté over high heat for 2 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the figs and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the arugula, vinegar, and walnuts; cook just until the arugula is wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drain and reserve any juices that remain in the pan.
Prepare the goat cheese:
Combine the goat cheese, shallot, and cream in a mixing bowl until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Shape into 4 quenelle-shaped pieces.
Assemble the Dish:
Spoon some of the warmed arugula purée in a triangle shape on each plate. Arrange some of the rabbit and the arugula salad in the center of the triangle. Place a quenelle of the goat cheese at the base of the rabbit. Spoon some arugula salad over the rabbit. Drizzle the reserved cooking juices and the olive oil around the plate. Sprinkle with the opal basil and top with pepper.
Butchered rabbit: backbone in front, tenderloins in center, legs in back
Mixing goat cheese with minced shallot and cream. The shallot makes the cheese more savory while the cream makes it a little loose and easier to shape
Plumping the dried figs in wine. Bring the wine just to a boil, add the figs, remove from heat, and leave until cool
Searing the rabbit
Sauteing the onion and figs
Wilting the arugula
