Boiled Rabbet*

Categories:	English   17th century   rabbit   Meat
Original Source:	W. I., A True Gentlewoman's Delight
Secondary Source:
Cook:	Marian of Edwinstowe
Meeting Date:	2004-12-12

To boil a Rabbet
Fley and wash a Rabbet, and slit the hinder leggs on both sides of the back-bone, from the forward, and trus them to the body, set the head right up with a sciver right down in the neck, then put it to boyling with as much water as will cover it, when it boyls, scum it, season it with Mace, Ginger, Salt, and Butter, then take a handful of Parsley, and a little Thyme, boil it by it self, then take it up, beat it with the back of a knife, then take up your Rabbet, and put it into a dish, then put your Hearbs to your Broth, and scrape in a Carret root, let your broth boil a little while, put in salt, pour it on your Rabbet, and serve it.

Steps

1. The rabbit was boiled with its head skewered into the body, in 12 quarts water in a 4-gallon pot. When it appeared cooked, it was removed and the broth skimmed of fat, and reduced to about 1 gallon.
2. The rabbit was untied and put into a frying pan with 2 sticks of butter (melted), 1/2 tsp mace, 3 tsp ground ginger and 1 tsp salt, basting the rabbit with melted spiced butter till it achieved a golden tan. A bunch of parsley and some fresh thyme were thrown into the pot for 1 minute, removed, and bruised, then chopped and added to the broth pot together with a shredded carrot and 1 tsp salt. (Upon tasting, more salt was added).
3. Just before serving, the skewer was removed, the rabbit was garnished with a small carrot between its teeth, surrounded with the herbs drawn from the pot, and had some broth poured on.

Note

My rabbit weighed 3 lbs, 15 oz dressed.

I thought the instructions about trussing refer to putting the rabbit into a sitting position, with the head held upright, but was unable to make this happen. Perhaps a more skilled artisan could manage it, but no matter how I trussed it, the rabbit kept falling over. Can't see any point to adding butter to the boiling pot (it would only rise to the top, not stick to the rabbit), so I think this is one of many recipes in which meat is fried after boiling.

Verdict: I still think it would have been cuter if I could have made it sit up. And it would have been more tender if I had pounded it some before cooking.