Key Ingredient: Leaf Lard

Lorna yee gives us the porcine secret for her sensational pie crusts

What it is: Leaf lard, revered by pastry chefs, is the white, high-quality, neutral-tasting fat that surrounds a pig’s kidneys. It’s been used for hundreds of years by home bakers for its ability to produce the flakiest pastry crusts. Leaf lard is sold both in whole pieces for at-home rendering or in plastic tubs already rendered for immediate use. Keep it in the refrigerator (where it will remain solid) if you plan to use it for pastry; you can also keep it at room temperature as a liquid fat for stovetop cooking. Despite lard’s negative reputation as a dietary evil, it contains less saturated fat and less cholesterol than butter.

How I discovered it: I’ve been a fan of using lard for pie crusts ever since I was given five tubs of leaf lard by a pastry chef three years ago. I started combining this ne plus ultra of lard with butter and a secret ingredient—sour cream—in my pie crusts, and I’m convinced that it’s the leaf lard that makes these crusts sublime. The dough rolls out smooth without tearing or cracking. I use it to make my favorite late-summer pie: a simple blueberry accented with a little nutmeg and lemon zest; the crust so light and tender, the crumbs dissolve on your tongue. Pair it with my homemade buttermilk ice cream, and you’ll have a dessert everyone will be dreaming about when these summer days stretch into fall and winter.

How to use it in the kitchen: Leaf lard is mostly used for pastry crusts or biscuits, alone or combined with butter for better flavor. But use it in any recipe that calls for regular commercially produced lard, which is usually rendered from fatback and tastes a little porkier than leaf lard. Leaf lard can also be used in cooking, and in many European countries and in the American Midwest, it’s a popular spread on bread (in lieu of butter). Some sources claim leaf lard can be kept indefinitely in your freezer—I’ve kept mine for as long as a year with no loss in quality; it will also keep in a sealed jar in your fridge for months.

Where to find it: Buy leaf lard from Wooly Pigs, Sea Breeze Farm or Skagit River Ranch at the U-District farmers’ market (Saturdays, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.; corner of University Way & NE 50th Avenue; about $9/pound). A&J Meats (Queen Anne, 2401 Queen Anne Ave. N; 206.284.3885) carries leaf lard on occasion.


RECIPE
Summer blueberry pie with buttermilk ice cream
This pie crust makes a little more than enough for a double-crust 9-inch pie. I like to sprinkle the crust scraps with sugar and cinnamon, then bake them for a quick cook’s treat.

Crust
3 cups flour
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup leaf lard or shortening, very cold, diced into ¼-inch cubes
½ cup butter, very cold, diced into ¼-inch cubes
8-ounce container sour cream, very cold

Filling
6 ½ cups blueberries
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons milk

For the crust:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Toss the leaf lard and butter with the flour, blending with a pastry cutter or two forks until you see small, pea-size chunks of fat evenly distributed. Mix in the sour cream with a fork and gently knead the dough just until it comes together, 20–30 seconds. (Do not overwork the dough, or your pastry will be tough.)

Divide the dough into two rounds and wrap in plastic. Let the dough rest in the fridge for at least one hour before using.

For the filling:
Place the blueberries, sugar, spices, salt, lemon zest and butter in a pot on medium heat for 3–4 minutes, until blueberries are warm and just begin to break down. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water, and add the slurry to the blueberries. Stir the blueberries for another 2–3 minutes until the mixture just begins to bubble. Take the blueberries off the heat and allow the filling to cool slightly before filling the pie.

To make the pie:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

On a floured surface, and with a floured rolling pin, roll out a round of dough to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Trim the overhang, leaving ½-inch excess dough for crimping. Fill the pie with blueberry filling. Roll out the second piece of dough. Place over the filling and trim the overhang. Crimp the edges of the pie together and cut a few vents in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape. Brush top of pie with milk and sprinkle with sugar if desired.

Bake the pie for 20 minutes at 425 degrees, then turn down the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 30–35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. If the edge of the crust looks as if it’s browning too quickly, cover it with a pie shield or tent the edge loosely with a piece of foil.

(The crust scraps, covered in cinnamon sugar, only need about 25 minutes in a 350-degree oven, depending on their thickness. Check often to prevent burning.)


Buttermilk ice cream
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 ½ cups buttermilk
6 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla

Bring the heavy cream to a simmer in a pot over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk the yolks, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Once the cream is hot, slowly drizzle the heavy cream over the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Transfer the mixture back into the pot and stir on medium-low heat until custard thickens. Transfer the mixture back into the mixing bowl and stir in the cold buttermilk.

Place the covered bowl in the fridge until cold (about 3–4 hours, or overnight.) Process in an ice-cream maker, according to manufacturer’s instructions, then freeze the ice cream until hard (at least 4 hours) before serving.