SC - Lard

[UnruhBays, Melanie A]

niccolo difrancesco said:
 <snip>
> I also highly recommend LARD crusts/pastry.  The richness and 
> texture is almost unparalleled.  A little harded to work than 
> standard "Crisco" crust, but well worth the effort.  Park 
> your arteries at the door, though if wrapped around eggs and 
> sausage :o)
> 

A Crisco crust might be delicate and flaky, but Crisco was invented in 1911.


I'll use lard in preference to butter (unless the recipe calls for butter)
for the reasons cited by Niccolo, and because lard is somewhat better for us
than butter. 

According to the USDA, butter has 11.518 g of fat and 31.084 mg cholesterol
per tablespoon, while lard has 12.8 g fat, and 12.16 mg cholesterol. So lard
has almost a third of the cholesterol of butter in exchange for about one
additional gram of fat. And lard's higher in monounsaturated fats - the
"good" ones, like those in olive oil - 5.773 g for lard, and 3.326 for
butter. Lard's bad rap is largely undeserved - in any case, it's no *worse*
us than butter. It's just that we see lard as fat and butter as a condiment!

Around sausage and eggs, I think the benefits would be minimal at best! But
it sounds good....

Maredudd
(yes, I read labels...)