One of my favorite cookbooks of the year a few years ago was a quirky tome titled “Bones”. The subject matter was interesting, and often overlooked, the photos were compelling (very “Donna Hay” lighting) and the writing was tasty. Now that author, Jennifer McLagan,  has a new book—“Fat”. I could not be expected to resist that, could I?

Who knew all this fat lore existed? From the Butter Saint in thirteenth century Germany, to the history of pudding, the book is full of crazy facts and quips about the misunderstood ingredient, and some of the recipes are on my “must try” short list.  But my favorite pages so far are the ones that have a recipe for Spanish-Style Lard Cookies on one, and a recipe for Crackling Brittle (using pork cracklin’, n’est pas?) on the facing page. Even if I never make those, I like knowing they are there. In fact, I feel like I need a special ribbon to mark the spot, like in the family Bible. Maybe I should just do as journalist A.J. Liebling purportedly did, and mark the spot with a strip of bacon..?