Civet de Lièvre — Hare Stewed in Blood-Thickened Wine Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 (approx. 2–2.5 kg) wild hare, jointed into front legs, back legs halved, saddle in 3–4 sections; blood and liver reserved
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, mixed with the reserved blood immediately to prevent coagulation
• For the marinade
• 750 ml robust red wine, full bottle; the entry specifies a full bottle for the overnight marinade
• 1 bouquet garni, bay, thyme, parsley stems
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 carrot, sliced
• For the braise
• 150 g lardons, rendered in the braising pot
• 1 mirepoix, onion, carrot, celery in rough dice; softened after lardons
• 30 g plain flour, added to build the sauce base
• 250 ml brown stock, game or veal preferred
• 1 bouquet garni, fresh, for the braise
• 6 juniper berries, lightly crushed
• 1 strip orange zest
• 60 ml cognac, for flambéing the browned hare
• For the blood liaison
• 1 tbsp double cream, mixed with the reserved blood before incorporation
• For the liver and croûtons
• 1 (reserved) hare liver, sautéed in butter and puréed
• 20 g unsalted butter, for sautéing the liver
• 4 croûtons, bread, fried or toasted; spread with liver purée to finish

Method

1. 1
   The day before: joint the hare, collecting every drop of blood into a small bowl and stirring in 1 tbsp red wine vinegar at once. Reserve the liver separately. Combine the joints with the full bottle of red wine and the marinade aromatics. Cover and refrigerate for a full 24 hours. The flesh should be deeply coloured and fragrant with wine when ready.
2. 2
   Remove the hare joints from the marinade and dry them thoroughly with kitchen paper. Strain and reserve the marinade wine. Season the joints. Heat a heavy casserole over high heat and brown the hare pieces in batches, turning until every surface is a deep mahogany — not merely golden. Pour over the cognac and flambé, allowing the flames to die out completely. Remove the meat.
3. 3
   In the same casserole, render the lardons until their fat runs and they begin to colour. Add the mirepoix and soften without browning. Stir in the flour and cook briefly to a pale roux. Add the strained marinade wine, stock, bouquet garni, juniper berries, and strip of orange zest. Stir until the liquid is smooth and beginning to thicken.
4. 4
   Return the hare joints to the casserole, ensuring they are submerged. Cover tightly and braise at 150 °C: 2–2.5 hours for a young hare, up to 3.5 hours for an older animal. The meat is done when it yields without resistance to a skewer and begins to pull from the bone.
5. 5
   Meanwhile, sauté the reserved liver in butter over high heat for no more than 1–2 minutes per side — the interior should remain faintly pink. Transfer to a board and purée to a smooth paste. Set aside.
6. 6
   Lift the hare pieces from the casserole and keep warm. Strain the braising liquor, discard the aromatics, and return the sauce to the pan. Reduce over medium heat until it is already concentrated and coats a spoon. Remove from the heat and allow the temperature to fall to 70–75 °C — a cook's thermometer is not optional here.
7. 7
   This is where the dish lives or dies. With the sauce off the heat and confirmed below 80 °C, whisk in the reserved blood mixed with 1 tbsp cream in a slow, steady stream. Return the pan to the gentlest possible heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens to a dark, opaque, velvet consistency. It must not boil — a single rolling boil will coagulate the blood proteins into irretrievable granules and ruin the sauce entirely. Stir in the liver purée.
8. 8
   Return the hare pieces to the sauce and warm through without approaching a simmer. Arrange on a warmed serving dish. Spoon the sauce over generously. Place the croûtons, spread with any remaining liver purée, alongside. The finished surface should be uniformly dark, glossy, and opaque — not grainy, not split, not pale.