Craft of Cooking: Notes and Recipes from a Restaurant Kitchen

First Chapter

Rabbit ballottine

A ballottine is a dish in which a whole boned animal or bird is stuffed with a mixture of forcemeat, or farce. To help the ballottine keep its shape while cooking, we wrap the stuffed rabbit in caul fat, a sheer natural netting taken from the lining of the cow's stomach. As it cooks, the caul fat melts away, glazing the rabbit beautifully in the process.

Makes 1

For the farce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 sprig fresh sage
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
heart, liver, and kidneys from 1 rabbit (see below)
3 duck or chicken livers
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup sherry vinegar

For the ballottine

1 rabbit, boned (have the butcher do this), heart, liver, kidneys, and bones reserved
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 slices prosciutto
1 whole piece of caul fat
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
green olive tapenade, page 00 (optional)
rabbit gelée (recipe follows)

For the farce: Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, sage, salt, and pepper and sweat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 15 minutes. Transfer the onion to a plate and wipe out the pan. Heat the pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, then add the rabbit heart, liver, and kidneys and the duck livers. Season with salt and pepper and cook, turning the meats once or twice until they are firm, about 3 minutes. Add the sage and rosemary, return the onions to the pan, then add the sherry vinegar. Simmer until the pan isalmost dry. Allow the farce to cool, then chop it.

For the ballottine: Lay the rabbit out flat, boned side up, on a clean surface. Pound the legs so they are the same thickness as the rest of the meat, then fold them in so the meat forms a somewhat irregular square. Pound any sections that seem thicker than the rest. Salt and pepper the rabbit. Cover it with the prosciutto laid crosswise (from leg to leg) in a single overlapping layer. Spoon the farce into the center of the rabbit. Fold the two ends over the farce, then tightly roll the rabbit. Wrap the ballottine in the caul fat and tie it at 1-inch intervals with kitchen string.

Salt and pepper the outside of the ballottine. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium low. Add the ballottine. Cook, rotating the ballottine as it browns, until it is golden, firm, and plump, about 50 minutes. When the ballottine is done, a thermometer inserted into the center should indicate a temperature of about 1§0°F. Serve warm or chilled sliced very thin with tapenade and rabbit gelée, if desired.

rabbit gelée

Heat the oven to 450°F. Chop the bones of 1 rabbit. Place the bones in a small roasting pan and cook, turning them occasionally, until they are well browned, about 40 minutes. Pour off any accumulated fat, then transfer the bones to a pot. Add brown chicken stock (page 00) to cover, about 5 cups, and simmer for 45 minutes. Strain the stock, discarding the bones. Return the stock to the pot and reduce by half. Add 2 sprigs of rosemary, a sprig of thyme, and salt and pepper to taste and allow the stock to cool to room temperature. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin over 1 tablespoon cold water and set aside for about a minute. Strain the stock and warm it over medium heat. Remove it from the heat and stir in the gelatin. Pour 1/2 inch of stock into a small baking dish (a 7-inch square will work). Refrigerate overnight. Cut the gelée into cubes and serve with slices of the ballottine.

Pan-roasted sweetbreads

Sweetbreads, the thymus gland of a calf, have a wonderful texture and a mild, delicate flavor, which works well paired with almost anything. This dish requires some forethought-the sweetbreads need to be soaked overnight-but the extra planning is worth it: Pan-roasting the sweetbreads crisps the outside, while the center stays moist and creamy.

For the sweetbreads

3 pounds sweetbreads
about 1 cup super-finely ground flour (wondra)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons peanut oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 sprigs fresh thyme

For the sauce

2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 tablespoon minced carrot
1 tablespoon minced celery
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
4 cups veal stock (page 00)
3 sprigs fresh thyme

For the garnish

1 cup (a half recipe) pan-roasted diced vegetables, page 00

For the sweetbreads: Rinse, then soak the sweetbreads in cold water in the refrigerator overnight. Drain, place them in a medium saucepan, cover with salted water, and bring to a simmer. Simmer the sweetbreads for 2 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water. Chill the sweetbreads for at least 1 hour, then carefully remove as much of the outer membrane as you can without tearing the meat.

For the sauce: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to caramelize, about 25 minutes. Add the vinegar and increase the heat to medium-high. Vigorously simmer the vinegar until the pan is almost dry, 12 minutes. Add the stock and thyme. Reduce the heat and gently simmer, skimming from time to time, until the stock has reduced by about two thirds and is slightly viscous, about 40 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, and keep warm over low heat.

To cook and serve the sweetbreads: Lightly flour each sweetbread, then season with salt and pepper. Heat two large skillets over medium heat. Divide the oil between the skillets and add the sweetbreads. Cook the sweetbreads without turning them until the first sides begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Flip the sweetbreads and reduce the heat to medium low. Continue cooking, periodically spooning off excess fat and moving the sweetbreads, so that they brown on all sides. When they are lightly and evenly browned, about 7 minutes, add the butter and thyme. Cook the sweetbreads, basting with the browned butter and turning them occasionally, until they are crisp and slightly firm, about 12 minutes more. Drain them on paper towels. Wipe out one of the pans and heat the diced vegetable garnish over medium heat. Serve the sweetbreads, sauce, and garnish on warm plates.

Pan-roasted foie gras

I love serving foie gras at Craft; with very little effort the guest is rendered speechless with pleasure (you just can't beat that).

The key to this recipe is to cut the foie gras into thick slices, sear it on a high heat, and serve it immediately; otherwise it will start to lose its fat.

I recommend serving foie gras with a small side dish of Mostarda, or mustard fruits (page 00).

Serves 6

2 pounds foie gras, chilled
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Separate the lobes of the liver and trim away any obvious exterior fat. Using a sharp hot knife, slice the foie gras about 1 1/2 inches thick. Place the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until ready to cook.

Heat 2 large skillets over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the foie gras slices and add them to the pan. Cook until the first sides begin to brown, about 30 seconds, then flip each slice. Lower the heat to medium and cook, basting with melting fat, until the foie gras feels like the thick part of your palm, about 2 1/2 minutes. Drain on paper towels, then serve.

Copyright© 2003 by Tom Colicchio