White-Fat Socles

Ingredients

• l^lb. of kidney fat
• l|lb. of best white lard

Method

1. 1

   Soak kidney fat in cold water overnight, drain, and render down gently.

2. 2

   Mix with white lard, whip until light, and use to cover moulds.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Salads, sandwiches, and savouries (1901) by S. Beaty-Pownall, page 61. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

white-fat socles, or stands, which, though not of general use, yet, on occasions, are a great addition to the appearance of a supper or ceremonial breakfast table, and are sufficiently easy to prepare to render them available for home use. For the rice border, boil, say, lib. of rice in plenty of water (half a gallon for 11b. of rice is none too much) till it is perfectly soft, then drain it well, and pound it to a smooth paste in a mortar. When well amalgamated, turn it ^out on to the pastry slab, and knead it with GARNISHES, &c. 127 jour liaucls, or Avork it with a wooden spoon till it is a smooth, elastic, and workable paste ; then either shape it as it stands with a couple of wooden spoons into a round or oval block, trimming- this neatlj with a sharp knife ; or press the rice into any mould to taste, and leave it till firm and hard. The moulds should be kept in a cold place to stiffen properly. When required for use, turn them out, and cover lightly with either plain or fancy butter. M. Gouffe, Avho advises rice borders especially, recommends ■either a maitre d’ hotel or a ravigotte butter, but, of course, this is a matter of taste. These socles are particularly useful for sandwiches, salades mignonnes, ■&C., and are also in great request for the improvement of cold entrees, which never look so well if served flat •on their dish. For lohite-fat socles you require a wooden mould on which to mount them. The plainer these are, the better is the taste of the socle. So get two round, or oval, blocks of smooth wood, one at least a third smaller than the other. To prepare the fat for covering, cut up l^lb. of kidney fat (mutton for choice), remove every bit of skin or sinew, place it in a bowlful of cold water, and let it stand till next day. Now drain off the water, and put the fat into a delicately clean pan (a fireproof casserole is as nice as anything), and render it down very gently over a slow fire ; when melted, let it stand for a minute or two, ■then strain it through a hair sieve into a basin ; after it has cooled a little, work into it l|lb. of best white lard

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.