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Using Lard in Pastry


claire797

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Yeah, it's weird.  I have no idea why it could be.  Whatever happened to supertaster thread?

Once, when I first began using canola oil, I jettisoned almost an entire bottle because I thought it had turned rancid (fishy taste). I soon learned The Truth.

The supertaster thread was interesting, no? Salty, sweet, bitter, acid . . .

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  • 1 year later...

I'm about to make a pie crust. The recipe calls for 1/2 lb shortening, which I guess is Crisco. I only have Tenderflake lard on hand, can I use that instead?

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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Ok, I'm trusting you on this. :biggrin: Now an even more inportant question. How does one flute the darn edges of pie or in this case, tart crust?

I'm a makin butter tarts. :smile:

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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If you have a tart pan it should already have fluted edges - I'm not sure of how else it could be accomplished. My large 11" tart pan has them and the small tartlet pans I've seen also do.

I recal being advised in this forum that most conventional grocery store lard may buy you a very slight edge in flavor over Crisco but it's typically a hydrogenated product and may not offer the advantages that lard is traditionally presumed to offer. If there's a grocery store in your area with Amish products they may have the Amish lard which is non-hydrogenated.

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If you have a tart pan it should already have fluted edges - I'm not sure of how else it could be accomplished. My large 11" tart pan has them and the small tartlet pans I've seen also do.

I recal being advised in this forum that most conventional grocery store lard may buy you a very slight edge in flavor over Crisco but it's typically a hydrogenated product and may not offer the advantages that lard is traditionally presumed to offer. If there's a grocery store in your area with Amish products they may have the Amish lard which is non-hydrogenated.

No tart pan. I have to use muffin tins. Who knew there were special tart pans? I suppose if I made these often enough I would know, but I used to use the tart shells to make these and just make the filling, but I'm feeling brave today. Tart pans will go on my list of things to buy, but in the mean time, muffin tins it is.

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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Rats. I just had a look at some tartlet pans. I don't think my muffin tins are going to work. I guess frozen shells it is. :sad:

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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You can do freeform tartlets, provided you don't fill them too much.

I'm really not that good with pastry yet. Can you imagine what they'd look like? :blink:

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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If you are making butter tarts in a muffin pan, just roll out the dough and cut 4" circles out of it. Then line your muffin tin with the dough circles. You will have a bit of folding and pleating but it works just fine. I do them like that all the time and they are excellent. Those pre-made tartlets are nasty tasting.

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Rats.  I just had a look at some tartlet pans.  I don't think my muffin tins are going to work.  I guess frozen shells it is.  :sad:

Wull sure they will - do you have any cake decorating tips - the little round ones y'know??? Wull a star one with the like teeth - put it on your finger and letting it point straight down & press around the top edges of your pie crust with the teeth - it not only makes a pretty flute it scallops it. :biggrin:

The motion you are making is like the donger in a bell - hitting the top edge of the crust but hitting it all around one next to the other with the decorating tip stuck on the end of your finger. Now I've only done this with cream cheese dough that I recall.

Works to perfection on pecan sassies y'know??? But but but your pie crust might puffy up too much & loose the distincitons but maybe it would work - but I just used my regular muffin pans the other day & made quiches. Totally works no problem-o.

Or or or just use the tines of a fork.

And I have only used grocery store lard. Notice yours is called 'Tenderflake' - oh yeah, well named!!!

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Rats.  I just had a look at some tartlet pans.  I don't think my muffin tins are going to work.  I guess frozen shells it is.   :sad:

Wull sure they will - do you have any cake decorating tips - the little round ones y'know??? Wull a star one with the like teeth - put it on your finger and letting it point straight down & press around the top edges of your pie crust with the teeth - it not only makes a pretty flute it scallops it. :biggrin:

The motion you are making is like the donger in a bell - hitting the top edge of the crust but hitting it all around one next to the other with the decorating tip stuck on the end of your finger. Now I've only done this with cream cheese dough that I recall.

Works to perfection on pecan sassies y'know??? But but but your pie crust might puffy up too much & loose the distincitons but maybe it would work - but I just used my regular muffin pans the other day & made quiches. Totally works no problem-o.

Or or or just use the tines of a fork.

And I have only used grocery store lard. Notice yours is called 'Tenderflake' - oh yeah, well named!!!

yes I have decorating tips. Ok, you've all convinced me to try this in my muffin tins. I'll let you know how it turns out. As soon as I get my husband on his plane to Washington. :blink:

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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Repeat like mantra: Tenderflake is great, Crisco is just fine. Muffin tins are fine. It's just pastry: all you have to do is watch the water content; it can't be too sticky, but you shouldn't have too many dry bits in the bottom of the bowl.

Go lard! Or grated beef suet. Or Crisco, or butter. A light hand, no stress...you'll be fine.

Margaret McArthur

"Take it easy, but take it."

Studs Terkel

1912-2008

A sensational tennis blog from freakyfrites

margaretmcarthur.com

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then again, if you had to get real creative you could use just about any kind of pan and just cut pieces to the appropriate sizes. You could use cake rings, half sheet pans, just like the pie dough accordingly, par-bake and reduce the temp a little. In these cases its always a good idea to alter a recipe to prepare over the stove and then pour into the prepared tart shells.

Dean Anthony Anderson

"If all you have to eat is an egg, you had better know how to cook it properly" ~ Herve This

Pastry Chef: One If By Land Two If By Sea

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This is probably too late, but for a pretty free-form or muffin tin tart, roll out the pastry crust and cut with a flower-shaped (fluted edge) cookie cutter. You can use a size to fit in your muffin tin, or go larger for a free-form tart. Just pinch up the fluted edge a bit and voila!

Lard rules for pastry crust! If you have a butcher nearby, you can get some leaf fat from a pig and render your own. Takes some time (mostly unattended pot bubbling away), but it's cheeep! I made enough lard for 40 pie crusts for about $2.00.

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Rats.  I just had a look at some tartlet pans.  I don't think my muffin tins are going to work.  I guess frozen shells it is.  :sad:

If you're pre-baking the shells to fill later, form them on the underside of the muffin tin by turning it over and draping the circles over the humps and gently pressing them to shape. They'll come off easier and have a nice appearance, and they are less likely to shrink down inside the cup part of the tin. You can flip them right onto a rack to cool and make some more. Then, just before you serve them, fill them with your prepared filling and chill--no soggy bottoms.

Of course this won't work if you're baking the filling in. :rolleyes:

It's not the destination, but the journey!
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  • 2 months later...

It dawned upon me that lard might taste better than butter in some cookie recipes, I know it's often used in pie crusts also.

My questions are

(1)Where do I get it? I know "kidney fat" is the best but have no idea where to find it. The boxed lard stuff...is that any good? It seems a little scary sitting on the shelf without any refrigeration.

(2) Does it cream like butter?

(3) What is your experience with it?

"Mom, why can't you cook like the iron chef?"
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Lard is fine in cookies that don't require a buttery taste. (For those that do, try half lard, half butter.) The texture in almost always superior to that obtained with butter and, provided you avoid the hydogenated stuff, lard is actually healthier (less unhealthy?) than the yellow stuff.

Look for pure lard at artisanal, Latino and Portuguese butchers. It can also be ordered online. It's easy enough to make your own. The best fat for rendering is indeed the fat around the kidneys (it's called leaf fat) but any relatively pure fat will do.

Yes, it creams like butter. Well, actually more like shortening.

I use it in pie crusts (often with butter) and crackers. It's also the best fat for browning pork. And in a pinch, I use it to strech duck fat when making confit.

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I make pastry crust with lard and it's excellent. The boxed lard, however, is nasty stuff. You need to render your own, and regular white pork fat works just fine. My homemade lard is quite soft, even straight from the fridge, and I think it would be too soft for cookies, unless spreading cookies was what you had in mind. With home rendered lard there's no discernible pork flavor, it's just a little sweet and nutty.

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Isn't lard the same as Suet, just not shredded?

You can buy lard, and shredded suet in packets in any supermarket in the UK.

Lots of uses, and some things, like suet crust or steamed puddings or lardy cakes would not be the same without it...

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