Rabbit with Apricots In Cabernet Sauce

1 ea Rabbit, young

1 c Cabernet Sauvignon

1 oz Vinegar, red wine

2 ea Garlic, cloves, unpeeled

Bouquet garni ** 5 oz Apricots, dried

Salt, coarse Pepper, ground 3 tb Oil, peanut

4 tb Butter

1 c Demi-glaze, rabbit

Bone the rabbit saddle, legs, and shoulders and cut the meat into cubes of about 1 ounce each. Marinate the meat in the wine and vinegar with garlic and bouquet garni for 12 hours, covering rabbit with cheesecloth so it will not dry out. Soak apricots in cold water for 1 hour, then drain. Drain rabbit, reserving marinade and garniture. Dry rabbit well and season with salt and pepper. In a heavy casserole, heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the rabbit and brown on all sides (approximately 20 minutes until meat is gray). Add garlic, bouquet garni, reserved marinade, apricots, and rabbit demi-glace. Cut a circle of wax paper, butter it lightly, and place it over the rabbit. Cover the casserole and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes. Remove bouquet garni and discard. Retrieve cloves of garlic and remove the peel. Mash garlic into a paste with the remaining butter. Remove the rabbit and apricots from the sauce, set aside and keep warm. Stir the garlic paste into the sauce a little at a time. Arrange rabbit and apricots on a serving plate and cover with sauce. Source: Great Chefs of San Francisco, Avon Books, 1984 Chef: Werner Albrecht, The French Room - : Four Season`s Clift Hotel, San Francisco, CA