An icon of French home cooking, rabbit in mustard sauce draws its character from the quality of the condiment that coats it. Gently braised in a creamy sauce built on Moutarde de Meaux® Pommery®, the rabbit turns meltingly tender under a glossy sauce in which whole mustard seeds burst on the palate. This is the original version of the classic, with a wholegrain mustard, round and aromatic, that seasons the meat without ever dominating it.
Serves: 4 • Prep: 20 minutes • Cooking: 50 minutes • Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
3 tablespoons Moutarde de Meaux® Pommery®
1 rabbit, jointed (about 1.2 kg / 2.6 lb)
2 shallots, finely chopped
200 ml thick crème fraîche
150 ml dry white wine
150 ml chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
20 g butter
2 sprigs fresh thyme and 1 bay leaf
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Optional: 200 g button mushrooms, sliced
Method
Coat the rabbit. Pat the pieces dry with kitchen paper, then brush them all over with one tablespoon of Moutarde de Meaux® Pommery®. Season lightly with salt and pepper: this first layer flavours the meat deeply as it cooks.
Brown the meat. Heat the olive oil and butter in a cast-iron casserole. Sear the pieces over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deeply golden. Work in two batches so each piece has room to colour. Set aside.
Soften the shallots. Lower the heat, add the shallots and sweat them for 2 minutes without colouring, scraping up the caramelised juices with a wooden spoon. Add the mushrooms at this point if using, and let them release their moisture.
Deglaze. Pour in the white wine, raise the heat and reduce by half, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock, thyme and bay leaf.
Braise. Return the rabbit pieces to the casserole with their juices. Cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes, turning them halfway through. The meat should come away from the bone easily.
Finish the sauce. Lift out the rabbit and keep it warm. Off the heat, whisk in the crème fraîche, then the remaining 2 tablespoons of Moutarde de Meaux® Pommery®. The sauce should not boil again, so it keeps both its aroma and its grainy texture.
Thicken. Return the casserole to very low heat for 2 minutes to thicken slightly. Adjust the seasoning, remove the thyme and bay leaf, then spoon the sauce generously over the rabbit.
Serve. Serve piping hot, with fresh tagliatelle, homemade mash or steamed potatoes to soak up the sauce.
💡 Perfect pairing: A crisp, dry white wine — a Chablis or a Sancerre — answers the richness of the cream beautifully. For a bolder version, replace one tablespoon of Moutarde de Meaux® Pommery® with Pommery® Moutarde Royale® with Cognac, which brings warm, faintly woody notes.
Our tips for perfect rabbit in mustard sauce
A wholegrain mustard. It holds up to cooking, adds texture and keeps its aroma throughout the braise: exactly the profile of Moutarde de Meaux® Pommery®.
Mustard off the heat. Added at the end, it keeps its gentle heat and the cream stays perfectly smooth.
Add it twice. Once at the start to season the meat, once at the end for the sauce: that double gesture gives the dish its depth.
Works with chicken too. The recipe adapts perfectly to free-range chicken thighs — simply reduce the braising time to 30 minutes.
Our rabbit with Moutarde de Meaux® Pommery®
This rabbit in mustard sauce recipe is a cornerstone of French family cooking, as easy to make as it is pleasing to serve. Cream, white wine and wholegrain mustard come together in a silky, fragrant sauce where whole seeds add relief to every mouthful. Made at the gates of Meaux by the Chamois family for generations, Moutarde de Meaux® Pommery® gives this French mustard rabbit casserole its unmistakable signature: a gentle heat, rounded aromatics and a grainy texture recognised the world over. Explore our full range of Pommery® old-fashioned mustards to take the experience further.
