In early October, the Old Colony Club had a Colonial Tavern Dinner. The cook roasted three fat geese, and I got the carcasses and a generous portion of the goosefat.

Goosefat is a wonderful savory fat for cooking, but it has other uses. The French, especially in the deep south formerly known as Aquitaine, put it to use in Rillettes and in Confit d'Oie, so I did the same.

Rillettes is a spreadable sort of very rich pate made of the leftover meat and fat pounded together with the quatre epices (lots of pepper, a little each of clove, nutmeg, and ginger). I served it on thin baguette slices, and on crackers when the baguette ran out.

Confit d'Oie is preserved goose; chunks of seasoned, cooked goose packed in melted goosefat to exclude air, and then chilled to solidify the fat.

I planned to serve it sizzling in a chafing dish, but we had no Sterno so I served it from on a hot plate with toothpicks beside it, and more crackers.

Both the confit and the rillettes were very popular, so the ritual will be repeated during the cold-weather months until the supply is gone.