All-New York Apple Pie
December 6th, 2013 · No Comments · Posted in eating local
My wife made apple pie for Thanksgiving and of course it was filled with apples grown in a local orchard here in Upstate New York. But the secret to her pies lately–what makes them truly memorable–is the crust and what’s in the crust–local lard.
She got a slab of leaf lard from Flying Pigs Farm in nearby Shushan. You can’t even find their products in the local stores: almost everything they sell is to restaurants and farmers markets in New York City. But you can purchase pork and lard directly at the farm.
Leaf lard is considered the choicest fat on the pig. It surrounds the kidneys. She cut it into little pieces and rendered it in the oven, resulting in a four-cup container full of pristine lard she keeps in the fridge.
Until you’ve tried great lard in your pie crust, you don’t know what you’re missing. Truly, it makes all the difference.
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