Hare (also called or royal hare) is a classic dish of French cuisine. A whole hare is slowly braised in red wine and served with a sauce made from its heart, liver, lungs and blood.
Background The culinary term has different meanings according to the dish to which it is applied. It may be used of clear soups; of fish or poultry poached and served hot, garnished with quenelles and mushrooms with poached oysters and truffles (fish) or foie gras (poultry); and of hot or cold desserts made from unusual ingredients and presented with sophistication.
is a traditional dish, which, according to Larousse Gastronomique, is claimed by both Orléanais and Périgord as originating in their region.Maubourguet, p. 1003 It is mentioned in several 19th-century French texts, but was brought to greater prominence by the senator and newspaper columnist Aristide Couteaux. In November 1898 he published a description of and recipe for in Le Temps.Couteaux, Aristide. "La Recette du Lièvre à la royale", Le Temps, 29 November 1898, p. 2 Elizabeth David, who printed a translation of the article in her first book, Mediterranean Food (1950), summarised it:
David adds that anyone willing to devote the time and ingredients needed to cook the dish will realise that the senator was not exaggerating.David, p. 123
Composition A hare is butchered but left whole. Its heart, liver and lungs are kept to one side, as is its blood. The hare is slowly poached in red wine with bacon, garlic, carrots, shallots and onions. When it is cooked it is taken out of the cooking dish, to which are then added the heart, liver and lungs, and more bacon, garlic and shallots, which are simmered and sieved. More red wine is added, together with the blood, diluted with cognac. The hare is presented whole, in the sauce, and according to Couteaux, is so tender that "to use a knife to serve the hare would be a sacrilege: a spoon alone is amply sufficient".
There are later versions of the dish, adding slices of fresh foie gras and cream for additional richness.Morin, et al, pp. 40–42 Paul Bocuse includes truffles as well as foie gras as optional additions."Recette du Lièvre à la Royale selon Paul Bocuse", Du bruit côté cuisin, 23 October 2015 Joël Robuchon made the dish, based on Couteaux's recipe, for his presentation to the Compagnons du Devoir.Vié, Blandine. "Le mot à la bouche: Le lièvre à la royal", Le Chef, 8 November 2019
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