From our local independent bookstore, via Shelf Awareness newsletter. I haven't seen it myself, somewhat stunned it is a recommended holiday cookbook :

The Fat Kitchen: How to Render, Cure and Cook with Lard, Tallow and Poultry Fat
by Andrea Chesman


Andrea Chesman (The Backyard Homestead Book of Kitchen Know-How) has created a surprisingly beautiful cookbook in The Fat Kitchen: How to Render, Cure and Cook with Lard, Tallow and Poultry Fat. It begins somewhat unusually, with a chapter on the chemistry and biology of animal fats and why--probably to the surprise of many Americans--they may be healthier than many vegetable fats. For example, when vegetable seed oil is heated in a deep-fryer, it releases aldehydes (linked to cancer and dementia). According to Chesman, repeated frying in any kind of vegetable oil makes food increasingly contaminated. Animal fats, however, can safely be re-used several times for frying.

The Fat Kitchen is full of information on which fats come from which parts of animals, how to render them at home (or where to buy them) and how to store and use them properly. But the real showpiece of The Fat Kitchen is its many delectable recipes. Each one includes gorgeous photos, detailed instructions and tips on how to best incorporate fats. And the recipes themselves will have readers salivating, including Onion Confit and Chorizo-Cheese Empanadas; Curried Beef Pasties in the savory section; and Amish Potato Buns, Jelly Doughnuts and Blueberry Galette in the sweets. Any home cook wanting to avoid processed oils, as well as anyone hoping for more tender baked goods and tasty main dishes, is sure to enjoy The Fat Kitchen. --Jessica Howard, bookseller at Bookmans, Tucson, Ariz.

Discover: This beautiful cookbook includes recipes and methods for rendering and cooking with animal fats.