[Sca-cooks] Table Fat, was Pie dough

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Feb 22, 2010, at 6:33 PM, Johnna Holloway wrote:

> Or it could be rarely beef fat too.
> 
> The fine lumps of sweet beef fat or suet which adhere to the roast are used in roasting to give flavor, but most of the fat melts away and is not served at the table. Beef suet is occasionally used in cooking, but rendered beef fat is rarely used as a table fat in this country, although in Europe it is often eaten on bread in the place of butter. Beef suet has a rather pronounced flavor and a comparatively high melting point. These are probably the reasons why it is not more commonly used as a table fat.
> 
> The complete housekeeper by Emily Holt 1917 edition with wartime hints. orig pub: 1903.

And then there is graisse normande, which is a mixture of rendered animal fats, redolent of all, and overpowering of none. As its name suggests, it's from Normandy. As I recall, chiefly beef, pork, and sometimes goose or duck fats, rendered together with herbs and vegetable aromatics. Mainly used for things like frying and for stirring into soups and stews for added richness, but it's probably at least as good on bread as some of the other schmears. 

Adamantius






"Most men worry about their own bellies, and other people's souls, when we all ought to worry about our own souls, and other people's bellies."
			-- Rabbi Israel Salanter