Nigel Slater's rabbit recipe, and white chocolate ginger crunch

Nigel Slater's rabbit recipe, and white chocolate ginger crunch recipe

Why don't we eat more rabbit? It's cheap, flavoursome, versatile and makes for a surprisingly fine supper

Slow-cooked rabbit with tarragon
Serves 2
onions 2
rabbit 500g (1 rabbit, jointed)
butter a thick slice
rosemary 2 bushy sprigs
thyme 4 sprigs
wheat beer 1 litre
double cream 150ml
tarragon 4 lush sprigs

Peel the onions, roughly chop them, then soften them in the butter over a moderate heat until translucent and pale gold. Season the rabbit pieces all over with salt and black pepper, remove the onions, then add the rabbit to the pan. Brown it for five minutes, turning as necessary, then mix the onions in.

Add the rosemary needles to the pan, minus their stems, together with the thyme sprigs, wheat beer, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, lower the heat so the liquid continues cooking at a low simmer, then cover partially with a lid. Leave to putter away on the stove for a couple of hours until the rabbit is tender. The exact timing will depend on the age and provenance of your rabbit, but it is ready to serve when the flesh comes away from the bones with a decent table knife.

The liquid in the pan will still be quite thin and plentiful, so, after removing the meat, turn up the heat for a few minutes and let it reduce by about half.

Pour in the cream and stir in the leaves from the tarragon, chopped if they are very long. Continue simmering for a further 5-10 minutes, check the seasoning and serve.



White chocolate ginger crunch
Nigel Slater

Makes a 500g slab
white chocolate 200g
ginger biscuits 200g (not gingernuts)
golden sultanas, crystallised orange peel and pistachio nuts a good handful of each

Break the chocolate into small pieces and place it in a china or heat-proof glass bowl over a pan of simmering water until it melts. Avoid the temptation to stir. The odd poke with a spoon, pushing unmelted chocolate into the melted is all it needs.

Crush the biscuits into small crumbs and nuggets. Stop short of grinding them too fine, as you want the finished snaps to have a rugged texture. When the chocolate has melted, fold the biscuits and other ingredients into it and stir gently. Spread the mixture out on a sheet of waxed paper. Leave it to set in a cool place, or leave for an hour in the fridge. When set to a crisp, snap into large, jagged pieces. If you are giving this as a gift then wrap the pieces up in cellophane and tie with ribbon. They will keep for a few days in a cool place.