“Make your own pie crust like a pie boss”, says Suzanne Krowiak from Indy Food Swappers. Never has one kitchen ingredient been so misunderstood. Suzanne Krowiak from Indy Food Swappers brings us a lard 101 lesson, where you’ll learn what it is, how to use it in the kitchen, and how it got its bad rap. And if you break out into a cold sweat at the thought of making your own pie crust, never fear. Lard is the key to the easiest, tastiest crust. We’ll show you how to do it at home, like a pie boss.
Home-Rendered Lard
Adapted from The Kitchen Ecosystem by Eugenia Bone
Yield: Varies, depending on quantity of raw fat
Ingredients:
Pig fat (1 ½ pounds of raw fat will yield approximately 1 pint of rendered lard.)
A butcher can source pig fat for you. You can request fat from around the kidneys to render leaf lard (whitest, purest fat; typically has no pork flavor), which many prefer for baking. Back fat is used to make regular rendered lard. Either will perform well for kitchen tasks.
Ask the butcher to grind the fat for you before you pick it up. This will reduce the amount of work you have to do at home. If the butcher won’t grind it, chop it yourself into small, ½ inch pieces. (Place fat in freezer for 10-15 minutes beforehand to firm it a little and make it easier to chop.)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.
Spread the fat in a large roasting pan and place in oven. Check the fat every 15 minutes or so to stir it and make sure it’s liquefying, but not burning. Cracklings will form, which are the browned bits of connective tissue that can’t be rendered.
Once the fat is completely liquefied and rendered, remove pan from oven. (This will take approximately 90 minutes.)
Remove the cracklings with a slotted spoon. These can be heated and crisped in a hot oven for use as a garnish on soups, salads, etc. Or discard.
Strain through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Store in a jar in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 3 months.
Roasted Cherry Tomato Galette
Crust recipe adapted from Sarah Malfrus, Husk Restaurant, Charleston, S.C.
Ingredients (Crust):
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal (yellow or white is fine; course of finely ground is fine)
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ cup cold lard, chopped into ½-inch pieces
4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, chopped into ½-inch pieces
¼ cup ice-cold water
My Favorite Lard Biscuits
Adapted from Sam Sifton, The New York Times
Yield: 8 – 12 biscuits
Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups cake flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons cold lard, cut into small cubes
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
¾ cup whole milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
flake salt (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt ina large mixing bowl. Transfer to food processor. Add cold lard and butter to bowl, pulse until mixture resembles large crumbs. (If you do not have a food processor, cut the lard and butter into the flour mixture with a fork or pastry cutter.)
Return dough to bowl, add milk, and stir with a fork until it forms a rough ball. (You will likely need to ditch the fork near the end, and finish it up using your hands.)
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and pat it down into a rough rectangle, about an inch thick. Fold it over and pat it down again, as gently as you can. Repeat. Gently pat out the dough some more, so that the rectangle is roughly 10 inches by 6 inches. Cut dough into 8-10 squares, using a large pizza cutter or dough scraper. (You can also use a biscuit cutter, but be careful not to twist the cutter when cutting; this can crimp the edges and impede the rise of the biscuits.)
Place biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Brush each biscuit with melted butter using a pastry brush. Sprinkle with flake salt (optional). Bake until golden brown, approximately 10 -15 minutes.
Biscuits will be best served immediately. But they can be stored in an airtight container, and briefly re-heated in a 300 degree oven the next day.