For me one of the main things that makes the advent of fall easier to take — even after a lousy summer like this one — is starting to think about fall foods and the end of year harvest. Of course, I savour the lightness of spring cooking and the simplicity of a meal designed for the heat of high summer. But after a few months of that I’m definitely ready for game meats, roasts, braises, and full-flavoured root vegetables.
I guess I like it all and just think that we are lucky here to have such distinct seasons that the food we eat changes so much all year long. Now matter what I’m enjoying at the time, the calendar for the weeks ahead is loaded with other things to look forward to. Right now, we’re in transition, with warm days and chilly nights.
At this time of year I like braised stews on the lighter end of the spectrum. Beef short ribs and even veal can wait for colder weather. Right now for me it’s about whiter meats like poultry — and nothing quite so much as rabbit. It’s such a great, underappreciated meat. Tasty, but lean, and when you braise it right, exceptionally tender.
At the store right now we’re doing a variation on a dish of braised rabbit with grainy mustard sauce that I started trying to perfect for North 44 nearly a decade ago. It’s a contemporary riff on the classic French lapin sauce moutarde that’s no less tasty but a whole lot leaner because we’ve gotten rid of the cream component. Instead, we get the creaminess in the sauce from the rabbit itself by braising it so long that it’s ready to fall off the bone.
Right now, I can’t think of a more perfect takeout meal and I’m really happy that my team at the store is getting the dish so right.
Celebrity chef Mark McEwan is the force behind some of Toronto’s finest restaurants, including Bymark, North 44 and One Restaurant. His latest venture, McEwan, is a gourmet food market at the Shops at Don Mills.