Rabbit, Pappardelle, Chestnut and Black Truffle - Chef Recipe Thomas Boyd

Ingredients

Chestnut puree:

20 button mushrooms, sliced
30 g butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 sprigs thyme
250 g frozen chestnuts, sliced
150mL chicken stock
300mL cream

Braised rabbit shoulder:

1 carrot, finely diced
1 stick celery, finely diced
1 onion, finely diced
1 sprig thyme
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
200mL Margan Chardonnay
100mL veal stock
5 cracked peppercorns
8 rabbit shoulders

Plating:

4 servings of quality pappardelle pasta
3 peeled fresh chestnuts, sliced on a truffle shaver or mandolin
Thinly sliced chives
Parmesan cheese
1 fresh black Perigord truffle

Method

Braised rabbit shoulder:

Pre-heat oven to 160 C.

Roast the rabbit shoulders until golden brown in a large pot, add diced vegetables, garlic, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Saute until translucent. Deglaze with Chardonnay and transfer everything to an oven tray.

Add veal stock and pepper. Cover tray tightly with foil, take care to create a tight seal as this will prevent the shoulders from drying out.

Place in pre-heated oven for 1 1/2 hours until the rabbit is falling off the bone.

Shred the meat off the bone and strain the cooking liquid back over the shredded meat to keep moist.

Set aside.

Chestnut puree:

In a large saucepan, on a medium heat, saute mushrooms, butter, thyme and garlic.

Add in the sliced chestnuts and cook gently for 4 minutes. Pour in chicken stock and simmer until it reduces by half.

Add cream and simmer for a few minutes. Remove thyme stalk.

Blend all together until a rich, smooth puree; it should be the consistency of double cream.

Season with flaked sea salt.

To finish:

Drop your pasta in boiling salted water.

Meanwhile, gently heat chestnut puree in a large saucepan over a low heat.

Warm the shredded rabbit in the chestnut cream. Add some of the pasta water if it is not saucy enough. Strain pasta. Pour over the chestnut and rabbit and gently fold together with chives, over a low heat. Micro plane in a small amount of Parmesan.

Divide into four warm bowls evenly.

Micro plane black truffle over and scatter with sliced chestnuts.

Recipe provided by Margan Restaurant