collagen (skin also provides flavorful fat) Connective tissue has two uses First, in longcooked stocks, soups, and stews, it dissolves out of bones or skin to provide large quantities of gelatin and a substantial body And second, it can be turned into a delicious dish itself, with either a succulent gelatinous texture or a crisp, crunchy one, depending on the cut and the cooking method Long moist cooking gives tender veal ears, cheeks, and muzzle for tête de veau, or Chinese beef tendon or fatty pork skin A briefer cooking produces crunchy or chewy cartilaginous pig’s ears, snouts, and tails; and rapid frying gives crisp pork rinds Fat Solid fat tissue is seldom prepared as such: instead we usually extract the fat from its storage cells, and then use it as both a cooking medium and an ingredient There are two major exceptions to this rule The first is caul fat, a thin membrane of connective tissue with a lacework of small fat deposits embedded in it This membrane is the omentum or peritoneum, usually from the pig or sheep, which covers the organs of the abdominal cavity Caul fat has been used at least since Roman times as a wrap to hold foods together and protect and moisten their surface while they are cooked During the cooking, much of the fat is rendered from the membrane and the membrane itself is softened, so that it all but disappears into the food The second fat tissue frequently used as is is mild, soft-textured pork fat, especially the thick deposits lying immediately under the skin of belly and back Bacon is largely fat tissue from the belly, while back fat is the preferred fat for making sausages (p 170) Italian lardo is pork fat cured in salt, flavorings, and wine, eaten as is or used to flavor other dishes In classic French cooking, ... During the cooking, much of the fat is rendered from the membrane and the membrane itself is softened, so that it all but disappears into the food The second fat tissue frequently used as is is mild, soft-textured pork fat, especially the. .. which covers the organs of the abdominal cavity Caul fat has been used at least since Roman times as a wrap to hold foods together and protect and moisten their surface while they are cooked During the cooking, much of. ..major exceptions to this rule The first is caul fat, a thin membrane of connective tissue with a lacework of small fat deposits embedded in it This membrane is the omentum or peritoneum, usually from the pig or sheep,