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Grind the canela, cloves and peppercorns together in an electric coffee grinder or spice mill or in a mortar.In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the lard over moderate heat until rippling.

Add the ground spices and cook, stirring, just until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes, plantain, thyme, oregano, raisins, almonds and sesame seeds.Cook, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes.

Let cool for 10 minutes..In a large Dutch oven or deep skillet, heat the remaining lard over moderately-high heat until rippling.

Add the sauce, stirring well to prevent splattering.

Stir in the remaining stock, a little at a time.Lady of the House is a no-waste kitchen, a place where produce "seconds" cultivated in urban farms arrive by the crate.

It's a place where citrus peels find new life in flavored syrups and apple cores cook down into sweet butter, where fish bones are scraped of every last morsel of meat and prime rib trim becomes, yes, tartare—paired with a brilliant surf-and-turf swoosh of smoked oyster aioli.You don't need to know that Williams does most of her own butchery in-house to enjoy her perfect rosy slices of Parisian ham paired with sweet-spicy Dijon butter and chunky fermented honey, just as you don't need to know that her mom hung the pineapple wallpaper and that some of the dainty china belonged to her grandmother to be blown away by the restaurant's charm.

That Williams has done a lot with a little is part of the allure, and Motor City has shown up to support her.It helps that she's one of their own, born and bred in the suburbs of Detroit with more than a century of personal history here in Corktown.