Apollo Olive Oil

Gideon Beinstock is the wine maker for Renaissance Vineyard and Clos Saron and, to our very great benefit, lives in our little town. He was trained as a winemaker in Bordeaux, and his cooking shows the influence of honest French provincial cooking. To our extremely great benefit, he also raises his own rabbits.

Recipes

Gideon's Terrine de Lapin a la North Yuba

1 very fresh rabbit liver
1 medium size shallot, minced
¼ cup almonds
1 cup fresh (or ½ oz. dried) wild mushrooms, chopped (if using dried mushrooms, soak them in warm water to rehydrate)
2-3 cloves garlic, quartered
½ teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped fine
½ teaspoon dried oregano flowers
¼ cup red wine (Renaissance Cabernet or Syrah)
½ cup Apollo Mistral olive oil
Sea salt, pepper

1. On low flame, pan-fry the almonds in some of the olive oil, occasionally turning them, until deep brown on both sides. Chop not too fine, and set aside.

2. In the same (or another) pan warm up some olive oil, add the mushrooms and fry covered on low flame until all the water is released; change to medium flame, and sauté uncovered, occasionally stirring, until all liquids evaporate. Let cool, chop fine and set aside.

3. Sauté the garlic and shallot in olive oil on medium heat until shallots are translucent but not burnt (2-4 minutes).

4. Sauté the liver in olive oil on medium-high heat until the sides are light brown, but be careful to not overcook; the center of the lobes must be pink and moist (30-60 seconds per side). Chop fine immediately, and set aside.

5. Put the wine and thyme in the same pan, bring to boil, simmer, occasionally stirring, until reduced to 3-4 teaspoons.

6. Mix well all ingredients together; spread thinly on freshly made thin toast (~1/8" thick). Sprinkle the oregano flowers on top and serve immediately.

A labor intensive but rewarding appetizer for 6-8.

If you cannot get any fresh rabbit liver, try using duck, goose, or veal liver. Freshness is of utmost importance here.