How do I love thee, let me count the ways...

Lard, white gold! lol, the world has apparently remembered what they all used before goose/duck/unicorn fat got outrageously trendy.  Waitrose is selling jars of Iberican pork fat for the princely sum of £3.49 for 250g.  However, if you know a free range/organic pig person and can persuade them to hold you some back fat or leaf lard you can make your own, for free!

Recipe, eh, no.  As much pork fat as you have, diced as finely as you can be bothered.  Pop it in a large jam making pan with half a cup of water, turn the heat on.  When the water starts to boil turn the heat down and leave to render, stirring often.

 When you have mainly small pieces of crispy skin floating in a clear, slightly golden liquid you're done.  Sterilise some jars and use a bit of cheesecloth in a sieve to strain your lard.  Decant into your jars and leave to cool.

 Once chilled you have the making of the best pie crusts, cookies, cakes and doughnuts in the world.

The resulting fat is creamy white, odourless and clean to cook with... it makes for pie crusts so light and tender that they melt in your mouth.  Made a quiche today with the waitrose lard (ok, I bought it, just wanted to compare, no different to the home rendered variety!) and some leftover roast chicken.

Pastry

200g 00 flour

50g butter

50g lard

good big pinch of salt

double cream to bind

 Rub the chilled, diced fats into the flour until you have the texture of fine breadcrumbs, stir in the flour and gradually add tiny splashes of cream until your pastry comes together. 

 Form into a ball and sit on some cling film, pop more cling film on top (this pastry is fragile, hard to roll) and roll out to fit your quiche tin.  Using the cling film ease the pastry into the tin, being careful not to stretch it to fit, push gently.  Don not trim the overhang!

 Chill, overnight preferably.  Heat the oven to 190,  trim the pastry with a small, sharp knife, line with baking paper and beans then bake blind for 20 minutes.  Remove beans and paper and continue to bake for 10 minutes.

 My filling was 300ml cream, 1 whole egg and three yolks, shredded roast chicken, fried pancetta cubes, salt and pepper.  Mix the cream, eggs and seasoning.  Place the chicken and pancetta in the crust and pour the cream over (easiest to sit this on a baking sheet first!) then bake at 190 for 20 minutes then 180 for around another 15, until the filling is golden and slightly puffed up.

 Cool before eating.