[Modernist Cuisine] Edible Soap Bar with Honey Bubbles (4•267)

[Anonymous Modernist 3093]

I was thinking about making a batch of these as Halloween party treats, but I have two questions:

(1) Can store-bought lard be substituted for the rendered ham fat? (I don't have any on hand and I don't have any other reason to cook a ham in the next couple days.)

(2) Assuming the answer to (1) is yes, and assuming I don't brown the flour as specified in steps 5-6 before incorporating it, will the result be a lighter colored bar than the photo in the book? (I would like to color the bars in brighter, wilder colors than what is depicted in the book, so I think the logical approach would be to minimize the recipe's brown coloration before trying to add food coloring.)

Thank you in advance for any thoughts.

[Anonymous Modernist 10]

Srynerson said:

I was thinking about making a batch of these as Halloween party treats, but I have two questions:

(1) Can store-bought lard be substituted for the rendered ham fat? (I don't have any on hand and I don't have any other reason to cook a ham in the next couple days.)

(2) Assuming the answer to (1) is yes, and assuming I don't brown the flour as specified in steps 5-6 before incorporating it, will the result be a lighter colored bar than the photo in the book? (I would like to color the bars in brighter, wilder colors than what is depicted in the book, so I think the logical approach would be to minimize the recipe's brown coloration before trying to add food coloring.)

Thank you in advance for any thoughts.

Yes, and yes. The soap will turn out much whiter, more like classic American soap.

P.S. sorry I wasn't able to answer until after Halloween. Did you try it?

[Anonymous Modernist 3093]

Max said:

Yes, and yes. The soap will turn out much whiter, more like classic American soap.

P.S. sorry I wasn't able to answer until after Halloween. Did you try it?

Thank you. I didn't try it for the party, but I will give it a shot at some point in the future and report back.