Dinner: Thursday, June 10th

• Rabbit with Mustard Sauce
• Red Cabbage Agrodolce
• Roasted carrots

"The rabbit kicked the bucket...the bucket, the bucket kicked the rabbit...the rabbit..."

A good friend gave us A Platter of Figs by David Tanis, who has been executive chef at Chez Panisse, etc. and has bona fides as long as my arm. It's a book that makes you itch to cook every menu. We've made several fantastic recipes--deconstructed Salade Nicoise, Salmon with Vietnamese cucumbers, Corn, Squash and Beans with Jalapeño Butter, Pink Borscht. I had been eyeing the rabbit recipe for a long time.

Laurelhurst Market had locally sourced rabbits on the chalkboard when we had dinner there a few weeks ago...and...though I had no prejudice against eating rabbit, I was encouraged by an article in the food section of the Boregonian about local purveyors and the relative sustainability of rabbit meat. So...on Tanis' recommendation I made crème fraîche a few days ago from scratch (scald heavy cream, add some plain yogurt as culture, let sit for 12-24 hours at room temperature), procured myself a spanking fresh rabbit at Laurelhurst Market (along with some house-made Tasso and a hunk of irresistible head cheese from Tails and Trotters) and proceeded to make his Rabbit with Mustard Sauce.

It's easy peasy. Marinate said bunny in crème fraîche, dijon mustard (try TJ's--it's got the kind of kick you don't usually find in domestic mustards), bay leaves, fresh thyme and sage, batons of smoky bacon, lots of sliced garlic. Then roast in a hot oven, turning occasionally. One thing didn't go as the recipe said--even when the rabbit was definitely done, the sauce had not reduced significantly and was pretty loose. The recipe indicated you might need to add liquid to the pan while cooking. Hmmm. So I just pulled out the rabbit pieces and reduced the sauce over high heat on the stove top--one of the great things about cooking with crème fraîche is that it doesn't break even at a high boil. Cooked it down to a lovely consistency like a barely whipped cream, and napped the meat.

It was...it was...so GOOD! Lush, slightly funky with the applewood smoked bacon and herbs, the mustard present but not overly dominant.

Tanis pairs this with parsnips, but we had a beautiful bunch of heirloom carrots so I roasted those, and then (inspiration strikes!) it occurred to me that we had 3/4 of a red cabbage in the fridge that wasn't getting any younger...and wouldn't cavolo in agrodolce (AKA sweet-sour cabbage) be a nice compliment? Oh! My, yes, it would.

Glass of Côtes du Rhones...Mais, oui. Bon Appetit!