I once went on the Martha Show extolling the wonders of lard piecrust. You know, because making piecrust isn’t time consuming enough. I had to add the hours-long step of rendering my own heritage-pork lard to achieve that perfect, shatteringly-flaky crust.
Needless to say, this was before I became a working parent. These days I’m lucky to brush my teeth.
I still love lard pie dough — but now I buy it. No, not factory-formed in an aluminum pan in the freezer aisle like some fifties housewife. Instead I hit the Flying Pigs Farm stand at Greenmarket (Saturdays at Union Square and Grand Army Plaza) and furtively slip them five bucks for two frozen orbs of dough, entirely innocent of both trans-fats and machine handling, looking as lovely as if I’d raised the piglets and ground the wheat myself.
Stick that frosty little bag in the icebox and, when it’s pie time, thaw out the dough and you’re ready to roll. Fill it with anything from mincemeat to quince (or, for breakfast, vegetables and eggs). The rare combination of great ingredients with easy convenience is a win-win-win for the farmer, cook and eater. And having visited Flying Pigs Farm, I know even the pigs have it pretty good.
Featured photo credit: Flickr/Benimoto
