Rabbit and Wild Mushroom Fricassee

Pour the boiling water over mushrooms in a bowl, submerge them with a small plate and let soak 5-10 minutes. Strain through cheesecloth into another bowl. Rinse mushrooms. Set aside mushrooms and strained liquid.

Heat 1 tablespoon each olive oil and butter in heavy skillet over medium heat. Add and brown onions about 10 minutes, shaking pan often. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary and bay leaves. Bring to simmer, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until onions are tender, 10-15 minutes. Reserve.

Heat remaining oil in large, heavy skillet over medium-high flame. Brown rabbit 3-5 minutes per side (in batches if necessary). Add garlic, ham, remaining rosemary, salt and pepper.

Cook a few minutes then add brandy, avert your face and light brandy with a long match. Shake pan until flames die. Transfer everything to a heavy pot.

Add 1/2 cup wine to skillet, raise heat to high and stir, scraping bits up from the bottom. Add this mixture, remaining wine, mushrooms and mushroom liquid to pot, then add stock to nearly cover rabbit. Bring to very low simmer, cover rabbit with foil (inside the pot) and then cover pot with a tight lid. Cook slowly until rabbit is tender, 30-45 minutes.

Remove rabbit to a platter. Raise heat to high and reduce liquid to about 2 cups. Make a paste with butter and flour. Whisk this into reduced liquid; simmer briefly over low heat to thicken. Add reserved onions, rabbit, salt and pepper. Cool, cover and refrigerate.
To serve, reheat fricassee over a gentle flame.