Different Sorts of Sauce for a Hare is a traditional British recipe, based on Hannah Glasse's recipe of 1747, for four classic sauces that can be used to accompany roasted hares or rabbits. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Different Sorts of Sauce for a Hare.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Hannah Glasse's 1747 volume The Aft of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, the classic Georgian cookbook.
Different ſorts of ſauce for a hare.
TAKE for ſauce, a pint of cream and half a pound of fresh butter ; put them in a ſaucepan, and keep ſtirring it with a ſpoon till the butter is melted, and the ſauce is thick ; then take up the hare, and pour the ſauce into the diſh. Another way to make ſauce for a hare, is to make good gravy, thickened with a little piece of butter rolled in flour, and pour it in to your diſh. You may leave the butter out, if you don't like, it, and have ſome currant-jelly warmed in a cup, or red wine and ſugar boiled to a ſyrup ; done thus : take half a pint of red wine, a quarter of a pound of ſugar, and ſet over a ſlow ſire to ſimmier for about a quarter of an hour. You may do half the quantity, and put it into your ſauce-boat or baſon.
Modern Redaction
Hannah Glasse is often accredited with the saying first catch your hare. This precise phrase does not actually occur in any of her recipes, but the closest we get to it is the statement TAKE your hare when it is caſed found in the recipe above. The word cased actually means 'skinned' but it's often, erroneously, taken to be the word 'catched'. Hence the saying 'first catch your hare', though it's actually a clear case of misapprobation.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
Sauce 1:
600ml cream
225g butter
Sauce 2:
500ml good gravy
2 tbsp butter mixed to a paste with 2 tbsp plain flour
For the first sauce, combine the cream and butter in a pan. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until the butter melts. Keep stirring and cooking until the sauce thickens (do not boil). Place the hare or rabbit on a serving dish, pour over the cream sauce and serve.
For the second sauce: Heat the gravy in a pan, then work in the flour and butter mix a little at a time. When smooth, bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until thickened. Serve hot to accompany your hare or rabbit.
For the third sauce, combine the redcurrant jelly with 60ml water in a pan. Heat until the jelly has melted then bring just to a simmer. Take off the heat, pass through a fine-meshed sieve and serve to accompany the hare or rabbit.
For the fourth sauce: combine the red wine and sugar in a pan. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves then bring to a boil and reduce to a thick syrup. Turn into a serving dish and use to accompany your hare or rabbit.
