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The Official Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook

best result, purchase nonhydrogenated, natu-

rally processed lard free of preservatives. You can

also make your own lard by rendering pork fat

at home. Just ask your butcher for either leaf fat,

which produces a whiter,more refined lard,or fat-

back, which yields a more rustic lard. Cut it into

small, uniform pieces, very slowly render it over

low heat, strain to remove any impurities, and

store in an airtight container in the refrigerator

for a few months or in the freezer for up to a year.

Suet: This is kidney fat, usually obtained only

from beef nowadays, though mutton was also

used in the past. The best-selling beef suet brand

in the United Kingdom is Atora, which packages

it already shredded. Atora suet is widely available

online and in some markets in the United States.

In a pinch,grated frozen butter can be substituted.

FLAVORINGS AND SWEETENERS

Apricot kernels: Today, almond extract is used

in desserts in place of the bitter almonds called

for in the past. Nor can you even try to make

the recipes the old way. Bitter almonds naturally

contain high amounts of a cyanide precursor, so

their sale is banned in many countries, including

the United States and Britain. (Although pure

almond extract is made from bitter almonds, the

toxicity is eliminated in the manufacturing of the

product.) But you can get closer to the original

flavor by using skinned sweet apricot kernels.

Like bitter almonds,sweet apricot kernels contain

a cyanide precursor, but the level is much lower,

which makes them safe to consume in the quan-

tities used in the recipes. Keep unused apricot

kernels packed in a well-labeled jar so no room-

mate, spouse, or peckish teenager starts snacking

on them.