Ok. I have been busy, but I haven't really been THAT busy. I mean, so busy that I haven't sat down at the computer for a week and a half. That's obviously not true.
But I have done a lot of stuff, and some of it is very interesting. Like for example, I RENDERED LARD.
You are all aware that I am pretty much on the traditional foods bandwagon, and recently I had some pie with the most sensational crust I've had in a long time. I asked the piemaker for her secret, and she revealed it was half butter and half lard. Woah. Until that moment I hadn't really evaluated my relationship with lard, but I immediately realized that my pigman has been offering fat for rendering for a very reasonable price. So I determined that I would get some.
Turns out he had no idea about the process, but I looked on the ole internets and found some very simple instructions. (I'm not going to link to them, because I am pretty sure that none of my blogfriends are actually going to attempt this. If I'm wrong, you can find it by googling how to render lard. The blog I found was called Homesick Texan, I think.)
ANYHOO, Sunday was the day. I was a little concerned about the house getting all stinky, but it really just got a bacon/porkchoppy smell. And who can argue with that? I did 4 pounds of fat and it took a few hours and some creative problem sovling when it came to the straining (I really need to invest in a small sized colander. We do enough straining these days that it's reasonable.) I put it all into a pretty blue crock and closed the lid and stuck it in the fridge. In the morning--snow white lard! It still has a very faint piggy smell, which I think means it was back fat rather than "leaf lard" which comes from the belly. I fried some potatoes last night for our lamb burgers and they did not come out piggy at all, so I think it's all good. The coolest thing though: this morning when I woke up and came downstairs, the kitchen had a distinct aroma that brought back to mind my granny's biscuits. A-HA! I am so making buttermilk biscuits with lard today. And, I am so making a piecrust for my bourbon pumpkin pie.
Speaking of which, I am also so making a bunch of other stuff for Orphan's Thanksgiving 2008. I am not at all sure how many people are actually going to come for dinner, but I do not mind at all the prospect of tons of leftovers. We are going to have TWO TURKEYS--one heritage turkey roasted in the traditional manner (although I think I am going to do what Alice Waters says and flip the turkey over in the middle. It's radical, I know, but I did it with the chicken I roasted last week and it was amazing) and one wild turkey that rebby shot herself which she is going to smoke. Woah indeed. I seriously pity the fool who doesn't lie to their parents and sneak off to my house for dinner. Ha! Hopefully folks who are doing parental dinner will be able to sneak over afterwards for the traditional Urgh a Music War and copious amounts of wine and pie. Or maybe we'll just have to have a two days after leftovers party too. We'll see. In any case, it's still my favorite holiday, leftover from when I was a bookstore manager and it was the ONLY time I was able to take three days off in a row. I would start drinking the moment I got home on Wednesday and not stop till Sunday afternoon. This year I'll be a lot more conservative (I am opening the restaurant on Friday) but it will still be a long afternoon of wine and cooking and good times. I can't wait!
It's a good feeling to make a harvest feast using all local ingredients. (well, almost all. The cranberry relish will be the least local thing I think, given the ginger and tangerines that are going into it. The cranberries themselves, though, are local. woo!) In fact, I actually touched the hands of the farmers who grew almost everything we will be eating. That is something to be very thankful for.
But I have done a lot of stuff, and some of it is very interesting. Like for example, I RENDERED LARD.
You are all aware that I am pretty much on the traditional foods bandwagon, and recently I had some pie with the most sensational crust I've had in a long time. I asked the piemaker for her secret, and she revealed it was half butter and half lard. Woah. Until that moment I hadn't really evaluated my relationship with lard, but I immediately realized that my pigman has been offering fat for rendering for a very reasonable price. So I determined that I would get some.
Turns out he had no idea about the process, but I looked on the ole internets and found some very simple instructions. (I'm not going to link to them, because I am pretty sure that none of my blogfriends are actually going to attempt this. If I'm wrong, you can find it by googling how to render lard. The blog I found was called Homesick Texan, I think.)
ANYHOO, Sunday was the day. I was a little concerned about the house getting all stinky, but it really just got a bacon/porkchoppy smell. And who can argue with that? I did 4 pounds of fat and it took a few hours and some creative problem sovling when it came to the straining (I really need to invest in a small sized colander. We do enough straining these days that it's reasonable.) I put it all into a pretty blue crock and closed the lid and stuck it in the fridge. In the morning--snow white lard! It still has a very faint piggy smell, which I think means it was back fat rather than "leaf lard" which comes from the belly. I fried some potatoes last night for our lamb burgers and they did not come out piggy at all, so I think it's all good. The coolest thing though: this morning when I woke up and came downstairs, the kitchen had a distinct aroma that brought back to mind my granny's biscuits. A-HA! I am so making buttermilk biscuits with lard today. And, I am so making a piecrust for my bourbon pumpkin pie.
Speaking of which, I am also so making a bunch of other stuff for Orphan's Thanksgiving 2008. I am not at all sure how many people are actually going to come for dinner, but I do not mind at all the prospect of tons of leftovers. We are going to have TWO TURKEYS--one heritage turkey roasted in the traditional manner (although I think I am going to do what Alice Waters says and flip the turkey over in the middle. It's radical, I know, but I did it with the chicken I roasted last week and it was amazing) and one wild turkey that rebby shot herself which she is going to smoke. Woah indeed. I seriously pity the fool who doesn't lie to their parents and sneak off to my house for dinner. Ha! Hopefully folks who are doing parental dinner will be able to sneak over afterwards for the traditional Urgh a Music War and copious amounts of wine and pie. Or maybe we'll just have to have a two days after leftovers party too. We'll see. In any case, it's still my favorite holiday, leftover from when I was a bookstore manager and it was the ONLY time I was able to take three days off in a row. I would start drinking the moment I got home on Wednesday and not stop till Sunday afternoon. This year I'll be a lot more conservative (I am opening the restaurant on Friday) but it will still be a long afternoon of wine and cooking and good times. I can't wait!
It's a good feeling to make a harvest feast using all local ingredients. (well, almost all. The cranberry relish will be the least local thing I think, given the ginger and tangerines that are going into it. The cranberries themselves, though, are local. woo!) In fact, I actually touched the hands of the farmers who grew almost everything we will be eating. That is something to be very thankful for.
posted by sheryl at 10:48 AM
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