Rabbit and Hazelnut Terrine

Toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan over medium heat until golden and fragrant, about 4 minutes, then cool. Bone the rabbit, separating the saddle fillets into long strips and dicing the leg meat into 1 cm pieces. Finely mince the rabbit liver. Mince the pork belly through a coarse grinder plate or pulse in a food processor to a rough, textured mince — do not over-process.

Combine the diced leg meat, minced pork belly, lardons, rabbit liver, garlic, shallot, cognac, white wine, thyme leaves, parsley, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly by hand until evenly distributed. Cover and refrigerate for 12–24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan 140°C or 325°F). Prepare a deep roasting tin large enough to hold a 1-litre terrine mould for a bain-marie.

Remove the farce from the refrigerator. Add the beaten eggs and toasted hazelnuts and fold through until just combined. Fry a small patty of the mixture in a dry pan and taste for seasoning; adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Line a 1-litre terrine mould with the streaky bacon rashers, overlapping them and allowing enough overhang to fold back over the top. Place the bay leaves and thyme sprigs decoratively on the bacon before laying in the farce.

Spoon half the farce mixture into the mould, pressing it firmly into the corners. Lay the saddle fillets along the centre in a single layer, then cover with the remaining farce, pressing down firmly. Fold the overhanging bacon over the top to enclose.

Cover the mould tightly with a double layer of foil, then its lid if it has one. Place in the roasting tin and pour boiling water into the tin to reach halfway up the sides. Bake in the bain-marie for 90 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the centre reads 72°C — confirm with a meat thermometer before removing from the oven.

Remove the terrine from the bain-marie. Leave the foil on, set a same-sized piece of cardboard wrapped in foil on top, and weight it with heavy tins. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Transfer the weighted terrine to the refrigerator and press for at least 12 hours, and ideally 24–48 hours, before unmoulding.

To serve, run a thin knife around the edges, invert onto a board, and slice with a sharp carving knife into 1.5 cm portions. Serve with cornichons, Dijon mustard, and toasted sourdough. Refrigerated and tightly wrapped, the terrine keeps for up to 4 days.