THE PIECE DE RESISTANCE

I have always wanted to fix a crown roast ever since I saw a picture of one in one of my mother's cookbooks. Recently, I went to the butcher and ordered the meat. I asked if they also supplied the "bone booties" and they told me that they had them. When I picked up the roast they told me, "No booties!"

I was dismayed, but my hero Gerald immediately went online and found Martha Stewart's pattern for making them. Voila! We had booties (Martha actually calls them "Crown Roast Hats").

When I carried the platter into the dining room, I announced, "I expect some ooohs and aahs!"

Everyone "ooed" and "aahed" in unison!

Piece de resistance! Everything sounds better in French. It met the PIE (PRESENTATION IS EVERYTHING) criteria. Oh, and by the way, it was delicious!


Instructions for making "bone booties":

1. Draw a 3.5 by 11-inch rectangle onto the white paper. Cut out the rectangle with the scissors.

2. Fold the rectangle in half lengthwise but do not crease the fold.

3. Grasp the folded rectangle on the long cut edges and make slits along the entire folded edge of the paper with the scissors. Space the slits ¼-inch apart and make the slits approximately 1 inch long into the folded paper.

4. Fold the cut edges of the folded rectangle up 1/2-inch and crease this fold.

5. Wrap the prepared rectangle around the end of a rib bone loosely with the fold to the inside facing the rib bone. Note where the paper overlaps and cut off the excess paper to leave ½-inch of overlapped paper.

6. Tape the ends of the overlapped paper around the rib bone.

7. Wrap the remaining paper around another rib bone, cut it off and tape it in similar fashion.