Helpful Fat (she said)
by Heather 12 Jul 2011
Roast wrapped in Helpful Fat
French cooks view fat very differently than I do. When cooking, I normally try to cut away the ‘bad’ fat on meat, serve lean meats such as chicken, and focus on lean cuts of the fattier meats. Not here in France.
Cassoulet - Mistakenly made with No Helpful Fat
At the community barbecue in Meilhan-sur-Garonne, a local French woman explained to me how fat can actually be very helpful to the diet. She said that goose fat – just like olive oil and avocados – contains lots of good fats, which is why it’s so important to eat it along with the more dangerous fats from food like sausage. Apparently I made a huge mistake earlier this summer when I substituted butter for goose lard in my cassoulet (I dubbed my version “faux-o-let”). I may consider trying a goose fat version this fall before I release the recipe.
Rosemary and Garlic along with Helpful Fat Before Roasting
When we purchase a roast, the butcher wraps the meat, trimmed very lean, with what I refer to as “helpful fat.” Mind you, this fat probably does not contain any of the healthy-heart properties of goose fat, but it certainly aides in the roasting process. The layer of fat is normally quite thin, no more than an eighth of an inch thick, and surrounds the meat on about three sides. The whole thing is then tied up neatly with string. During baking, the helpful fat magically disappears.Simply cut the string and serve!
Ready to Serve
Ready-made kebabs called brochettes are extremely popular here in the South of France. Butchers typically sell two or three varieties, showcasing their skills with meat and food pairing. Perfectly square cuts of meat, veggies, fruit, chosen both for their flavor and their color, along with the interlacing slivers of helpful fat create colorful geometric patterns in the butchers’ counters. The included fruits or vegetables make a beautiful presentation. Of course there is helpful fat layered strategically between the tasty bites. This doesn’t actually disappear when grilling or searing, but these brochettes are definitely delicious!
Pork, Prune and Pepper Brochettes
