Forloren Hare (Danish Mock Hare)
Denmark's mock hare: a pork and veal loaf bound with oats, covered in bacon, baked in milk, and served with a creamy sauce made from that milk and a spoonful of redcurrant jelly.
"Forloren" is the word Danish cooks put in front of a dish that pretends to be something else: there is forloren skildpadde (mock turtle) and, less known, forloren and (mock duck), a pork tenderloin stuffed with prunes and apples (Danish Wikipedia:). Forloren hare is an oven-baked loaf of ground pork, or veal and pork; traditionally smoked fatback is laid on top, newer recipes use bacon, and it is often seasoned with juniper berries to give it a game character. It is served with redcurrant jelly.
Arla, the Scandinavian dairy cooperative, calls it classic Danish home cooking and says there is no hare in it at all: the bacon wrapped around the pork and veal is what gives it its "hare-like" flavor. Arla's version also does something no American loaf does: it browns the loaf, pours milk around it, and turns that milk into the sauce. SAVEUR put forloren hare in its 2012 list of the world's meat loaves, next to embutido and bobotie.
Why it works the kitchen science
Oats instead of crumbs
Fine rolled oats soak up the milk and the meat juices and keep a lean pork and veal loaf moist and tender.
Baked in milk
The milk around the loaf catches the bacon fat and the browned juices, so the sauce is built in the same dish without a separate stock.
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 435°F with a rack in the middle. Mix the pork and veal with the salt and pepper until sticky, about 1 minute, then add the oats, the 3 1/2 tbsp milk and the egg and stir until smooth.
- Step 2
Press the mixture into a small baking dish (about 6 by 9 inches) and shape it into a rounded loaf. Lay the halved bacon slices close together over the top.
- Step 3
Bake 20 minutes, until the bacon is browned.
- Step 4
Lower the oven to 350°F, pour the 1 cup milk around the loaf and bake about 30 minutes more, until the center reads 160°F. Lift the loaf onto a board and keep it warm under foil.
- Step 5
Skim off any skin on the milk and strain the milk into a heavy saucepan. Add the cream, jelly, salt and pepper and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Step 6
Stir in the cornstarch mixture and simmer 1 minute, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Taste and add salt or a little more jelly.
- Step 7
Let the loaf rest 5 to 10 minutes (Arla's FAQ), slice it, and serve with the sauce, potatoes, vegetables and more redcurrant jelly.
Forloren Hare (Danish Mock Hare)
Serves 4 · 1 small loaf (about 8 slices) plus about 2 cups sauce · 1 hr 20 min total
Loaf
- 7 oz (200 g) ground pork
- 7 oz (200 g) ground veal
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup (40 g) quick rolled oats
- 3 1/2 tbsp whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 4 1/2 oz (125 g) sliced bacon, slices halved
For baking
- 1 cup whole milk
Sauce
- 1 cup light cream (Danish cooking cream) or half-and-half
- 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly, plus more to serve
- 3/4 tsp coarse salt
- Black pepper
- 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
To serve (optional)
- Boiled potatoes and steamed green vegetables
Method
- Heat the oven to 435°F with a rack in the middle. Mix the pork and veal with the salt and pepper until sticky, about 1 minute, then add the oats, the 3 1/2 tbsp milk and the egg and stir until smooth.
- Press the mixture into a small baking dish (about 6 by 9 inches) and shape it into a rounded loaf. Lay the halved bacon slices close together over the top.
- Bake 20 minutes, until the bacon is browned.
- Lower the oven to 350°F, pour the 1 cup milk around the loaf and bake about 30 minutes more, until the center reads 160°F. Lift the loaf onto a board and keep it warm under foil.
- Skim off any skin on the milk and strain the milk into a heavy saucepan. Add the cream, jelly, salt and pepper and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Stir in the cornstarch mixture and simmer 1 minute, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Taste and add salt or a little more jelly.
- Let the loaf rest 5 to 10 minutes (Arla's FAQ), slice it, and serve with the sauce, potatoes, vegetables and more redcurrant jelly.
Adapted from Arla Denmark, "Forloren hare med bacon og sovs" (no date shown), as written. Arla uses 400 g ground pork and veal, 1 tsp coarse salt, 40 g fine rolled oats, 1/2 dl milk, 1 egg and 125 g bacon in a 16 by 22 cm dish; 20 minutes at 225°C, then 2 1/2 dl milk poured around it and 30 minutes at 175°C; the sauce is that milk with 1/4 liter cooking cream, 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly, salt, pepper and Danish sauce thickener. Arla gives no serving count; 4 is ours. We use cornstarch in place of the sauce thickener and leave out Arla's optional browning color; the conversions (435°F, 350°F) and the 160°F check are ours. Arla's FAQ suggests a core temperature of at least 75°C (167°F), above FoodSafety.gov's 160°F. Arla. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- For a more game-like flavor, crush 4 or 5 juniper berries into the meat, the old way Danish Wikipedia describes.
- No veal? Arla's mix is pork and veal; all pork works too.
- Arla's FAQ allows dry breadcrumbs in place of the oats.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Forloren hare tastes like hare because of the bacon. Disputed: Arla credits the bacon; Danish Wikipedia says juniper is often added for the game character, and smoked fatback was the traditional covering.
- There is hare in it. Documented as not so: Arla says it contains no hare at all.
- Serve it with redcurrant jelly. Documented (Arla; Danish Wikipedia).
- Cook it to 75°C. Disputed: Arla's FAQ says at least 75°C (167°F) in one answer and 70 to 72°C in another; FoodSafety.gov says 160°F (about 71°C) for ground meat. We use 160°F.
- Forloren hare and falscher Hase are the same dish. Folklore: both are "mock hare" meatloaves, but the Danish version is baked in milk and has no eggs inside.
Every other meatloaf
Falscher Hase (German Mock Hare Meatloaf with Eggs)
Germany's "mock hare": a beef and pork loaf bound with soaked rolls, wrapped around three whole hard-boiled eggs, topped with bacon and served with a sour cream pan gravy.
1887 Veal Loaf (The White House Cook Book)
One of the oldest American meat loaves in print: ground veal mixed with eggs, cream, crushed crackers, pepper and sage, shaped by hand and basted with butter as it bakes. No ketchup in sight.
Polpettone Ripieno (Italian Meatloaf with Ham and Provolone)
An Italian beef and pork loaf made with Grana Padano and no bread at all, rolled around sliced ham and provolone, wrapped in parchment and roasted on a bed of rosemary potatoes.
Embutido (Filipino Steamed Meatloaf)
Two foil-wrapped logs of beef, pork, ham, carrots and golden raisins, each built around a row of hard-boiled eggs and pimientos, steamed instead of baked and sliced into colorful rounds.
Bobotie (South African Curried Mince with Egg Custard)
Gently curried ground beef sweetened with apricot chutney and raisins, bound with milk-soaked bread and baked under a golden egg custard with bay leaves on top.
Classic Glazed American Meatloaf
The American classic: beef and pork bound with a milk and saltine paste, browned under the broiler, then painted twice with a tangy brown sugar and ketchup glaze and baked to a glossy finish.
Oatmeal Meat Loaf (The Stretch-the-Meat Classic)
A seven-ingredient loaf that stretches a pound and a half of lean beef with rolled oats and tomato juice, pressed into a loaf pan and baked an hour: the thrifty American meatloaf at its simplest.
Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf
A beef, pork and veal loaf brushed with brown sugar and ketchup glaze and covered with overlapping strips of bacon that baste the meat and bake up crisp.
Turkey Meatloaf with Ketchup and Brown Sugar Glaze
A ground turkey loaf kept juicy with butter, Parmesan, quick oats and cornstarch, glazed twice and baked on a rack until it reaches 165°F.
30-Minute Mini Meat Loaves
Four small, tightly packed meat loaves seared in a skillet for a crust, spooned with brown sugar and ketchup glaze and finished in a 500°F oven in under 10 minutes.
Country-Store Meatloaf (Inspired by Cracker Barrel, Not Official)
A cheesy, tender beef meatloaf made with buttery crackers, onion, green pepper and cheddar, finished with a sweet ketchup, brown sugar and mustard glaze. Inspired by the Southern roadside chain; not its recipe.
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