Instructions: Here it is Easter, and what could be better than a nice, succulent plate of

Oh, simmer down! Do you really think wed risk overloading the phone system with thousands of irate calls by suggesting that you cook the Easter Bunny?

OK, the thought of running a story on classic dishes for rabbit has darted across our minds. Rabbit, after all, is a respected food in many cuisines.

France and Germany are full of classic uses for rabbit, like "lapin a la moutarde" (rabbit with mustard sauce) and "hassenpfeffer"

(peppered rabbit). Americas own pioneers didnt wrinkle their noses at a little rabbit stew.

But while its true that Easter and rabbit are often mentioned in the same sentence, wed never suggest it as a menu item (at least, while the kids are in the room). On the other hand, it does seem like the perfect time to consider not cooking a rabbit. Thats not as hare-brained as it sounds. Rabbits white meat tastes so much like chicken that in France it is sold in poultry shops. Chicken makes a good substitute for rabbit in most recipes.

In fact, after making that lapin a la moutarde with both rabbit and skinless chicken thighs, we preferred the chicken version.

Rabbit is a firm meat that benefits from longer cooking, like stewing, while the dark chicken meat has plenty of flavor to stand up to the mustard cream sauce.

There are other rabbit-themed dishes, too. How about Welsh rabbit (or rarebit)? Its not rabbit at all, of course, but a simple cheese sauce over toast.

The name stems from an old joke about hunters coming back empty-handed. and just to round things out, we added a recipe for maple glazed carrots. It seemed fitting.

So, give Peter, Bugs, Bambis pal Thumper, the Playboy Bunny, the Energizer Bunny, the Easter Bunny and all the other rabbits the day off. Celebrate the rabbit in other ways.

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