Pâté de Lapin aux Noisettes
Rabbit and pork terrine with hazelnuts and armagnac
Rabbit & meats
- 1 rabbit (~1.8 kg), with its liver
- 500 g pork shoulder (échine), deboned
- 500 g pork belly
- 250 g pork back fat (barde)
- 75 g hazelnuts
Bind & seasoning
- 3 eggs
- 150 ml cream
- 40 ml armagnac
- thyme & piment d'Espelette
- 12 g salt + 5 g pepper per kg
A rustic rabbit terrine studded with toasted hazelnuts — a mix of the Paquin and Le Parfait recipes. Rabbit is lean, so it leans on pork belly and back fat for moisture and on eggs and cream to bind; the hazelnuts add crunch and the armagnac rounds it out. Rest it 24–48h before slicing.
Method
Prep the rabbit
- Joint and debone the rabbit, reserving the liver. Cut a little of the best meat into small dice for texture; the rest goes into the farce.
Season & macerate
- Season all the meats and the liver at 12 g salt and 5 g pepper per kg, with thyme and piment d'Espelette. Add the armagnac and macerate — a few hours, or overnight in the fridge.
Mix
- Toast the hazelnuts and roughly chop. Mince the rabbit meat, pork shoulder, belly and back fat together. Mix in the eggs, cream and hazelnuts (and the diced rabbit) to a homogeneous farce.
Fill & bake
- Pack into a terrine. Bake in a bain-marie at 180°C until the core reaches 68–72°C — about 1h to 1h15.
Drape with caul fat (crépine) or lay thyme on top before baking if you like a caramelised surface.
Rest
- Cool at room temperature, then refrigerate at least 24 hours — 48 is better — before slicing.
Background
Rabbit is very lean, so the pork does the heavy lifting: the belly and back fat keep it from drying out, and the eggs and cream bind the farce so it slices cleanly rather than crumbling. Keep the fat proportion generous.
Toast the hazelnuts before they go in — raw hazelnuts taste flat, whereas toasted ones bring the roasted note that pairs with rabbit and armagnac. A little diced rabbit meat left in the farce gives a better texture than an entirely smooth mince.
Mistakes I've Made
- Too lean. An all-rabbit or low-fat mix bakes dry and crumbly. Keep the pork belly and back fat generous.
- Under-resting. Sliced too soon it falls apart. Give it 24–48h in the fridge to firm and for the flavour to settle.
Sources
- Terrine de lapin —
- Découper un lapin (video) —
- Pâté de lapin aux noisettes —