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Rabbit, Larded

Skin, empty, and wash a fat young rabbit, cut off its head, and divide the body into four equal parts. Lard the fleshy part of each portion with thin strips of fat bacon, fry the quarters in hot fat till they are lightly browned, and lay them aside. Put about a pint and a half of nicely-flavoured and seasoned stock into a saucepan, thicken with a dessert-spoonful of brown thickening, and let it simmer gently until it is smooth and of the consistency of cream. Stir into it a glassful of sherry of Madeira, add the rabbit, and let it remain until it is thoroughly hot without boiling. Put the meat on a hot dish, pour the gravy over it, and garnish with cut lemon and parsley. Time, half an hour, exclusive of the time required for making the stock. Probable cost, 2s. 6d., without the wine. Sufficient for three or four persons.

RABBIT, MARBLED (to be eaten cold--suitable for breakfast, luncheon, or supper).

Take a couple of fine rabbits; skin, empty, and wash them; take out the livers and kidneys, and fry them in plenty of hot fat till they are tender and darkly coloured, then lay them aside. Put the rabbits into boiling water, and let them remain in it for five minutes. This is to blanch them. Take them up, drain them, put them into a stewpan, pour over them as much cold water as will cover them, and add an onion stuck with four cloves, a bunch of parsley, a sprig of thyme, a bay-leaf, and a little pepper and salt. Let them simmer gently till tender, and carefully skim the broth. Cut off the heads and necks of the rabbits, lift the flesh from the bones in large neat pieces, and lay these aside. Scrape off the remainder of the meat from the bones, take care of it, and put all the bones into a clean saucepan with the rabbit broth and half an ounce of gelatine which has been soaked for an hour in cold water. Put into this liquor a small portion of ham or bacon, and let it simmer till done enough, then take it out, and let the gravy simmer till it is reduced to a pint. Strain through a jelly-bag, carefully clear it from fat, and if necessary clarify it with white of egg, and season it well. Mince the scrapings of rabbit flesh with an equal quantity of fat bacon, add the weight of the meat in finely-grated bread-crumbs, season the mixture with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and powdered herbs, bind it together with egg, and form it into balls the size of a small nutmeg. Throw these into boiling water till they are set--they will take about ten minutes. Dip a deep mould into cold water, pour into this a small portion of the gravy just before it jellies, and let it flow round and round until it begins to set. Arrange the pieces of rabbit in this, together with the ham or bacon cut into strips, the liver and kidney sliced, the forcemeat balls, and one or two hard-boiled eggs cut into quarters. Be careful not to pack the ingredients closely, but to leave room for the jelly to flow in amongst them, and also in placing the pieces to contrast the colours, that the mould may look pretty when it is turned out. Pour the rest of the jelly over all, and set the mould in a cool place. When wanted, turn it upon a dish, and it is ready for serving. Time, four or five hours. Probable cost of rabbits, 7d. to 9d. per pound. Sufficient for a large dish.