The Hare King
There are said to be several recipes for this emblematic dish of French cuisine. These include those of Aristide Couteaux, Henri Babinski and Marie-Antoine Carême. These names may mean nothing to you, but one is a journalist and politician, the other an engineer and writer, and the last a chef. What do they have in common? All three are gourmet connoisseurs of hare à la Royale. Its laborious preparation requires a certain know-how, a high degree of technical skill and is a culinary art in itself. From Domaine de Châteauvieux at the restaurant Le Bayviewas well as the Lexique and Yeastand more, let’s succumb to temptation and punctuate the adventure with gastronomic tastings.
Daniele D’Angelo
Surgical procedure
High above Satigny, a swarm of white chef’s hats is busy in the kitchens of Domaine de Châteauvieux. On board, behind the stoves for over 20 years, is Philippe Chevrier’s man of trust, Damien Coche. For Damien Coche, it’s impossible to start the winter without offering the famous hare à la Royale. The preparation of this hymn to gourmet delights is a masterpiece. Sensitive souls – who prefer kale and avocado toast – beware! The cook begins by boning the hare and setting aside the liver and heart, which will be blended and used for the sauce. The hare is then marinated in wine and an aromatic garnish for 24 hours. “The wine adds a special flavor and helps tenderize the meat,” says the chef.
This is followed by the stuffing of pork, foie gras, truffle, parsley and breadcrumbs, which is stuffed inside the hare, with the ends folded over to bind them. The hare is then wrapped in a protective corset and left to dry for 12 hours. It is then roasted on all sides and languorously cooked for 36 hours at 86 degrees in the marinade mixed with game stock. Once cooked, Damien Coche recovers the juices and makes a liaison with foie gras, truffle juice and, at the last moment, adds the animal’s blood, cream and a few squares of chocolate. In the dining room, Esteban Valle, the inimitable maître d’hôtel, serves up this masterpiece on a pedestal table in front of guests amazed by his dexterity.
Bayview
New association
Head for the shores of Lake Geneva, where chef David Devel also prepares this divine gourmet gift. This former Guy Savoy loyalist has joined Michel Roth’s brigade at Le Bayview restaurant in the Hôtel Président Wilson. The team in place devotes itself to the preparation of the recipe, always with the same enthusiasm. The hare is baked for 10 hours in a game stock, then served with a mixture of mushrooms, pan-fried foie gras and truffle pasta, topped with a sauce made from the animal’s liver and foie gras. Sommelier Geoffrey Bentrari
Bistro influence
But this traditional dish is not exclusively reserved for haute gastronomie, and is a regular feature on bistro menus. It’s behind Geneva’s Gare Cornavin that we head, where the Lexique restaurant continues to give pride of place to bistro classics. It’s hard not to succumb to a terrine and galantine of marcassin and venison, a partridge pie with cabbage and foie gras, and the unmissable saddle of venison. Cyrille Montanier is a skilled chef, and hare à la Royale is another of his autumn recipes.
Edouard Amoiel
On the Carouge side, young chef Freddy Garanjou, behind the stoves of Yeast restaurant, is pleased to see that these period dishes, neglected over the years, are rightly regaining their letters of nobility. He treats his guests to a magnificent hare à la Royale escorted by homemade gnocchi and a mushroom garnish. It deserves its place on our tables,” he says, “for the sheer technical skill required to make it. A single detail can ruin everything. In the end, that’s what gives this dish its charm. Paired with a superb pinot nero by winemaker Jean-Yves Peron and suggested by sommelier Aymeric Velluz, the pairing works exceptionally well.
