Lard alternative?

[Jacob Vicente]

I am living in Indonesia , and as you guess no pork! So I need an alternative lard product , I am racking my brains and can't think of what to use! For pastrys!

Please help aarrgghhh

cooking is a passion baking is a science

Jacob

[Claire]

I do not bake, but my immediate thought is a crisco-type grease. Also, for some pastries butter, or even margarine.

[Bolas De Fraile]

June Crisco I think is what we call Vegetable Lard, I very rarely use anything but butter in my pastry. Hot water crust I use a mix of butter and lard or goose or duck fat. What is the pastry for.

[Steve Kroll]

If you can find suet (made from beef), that will work also.

[Bolas De Fraile]

Steve mate can you get suet in Minnesota ?

[Steve Kroll]

Yes, a number of butchers and grocers have suet available, but sometimes you have to ask for it, as they don't always put it out in the display case. People around here mostly use it for bird food.

You may appreciate this, but one of my favorite dishes is a savory leek pudding that a friend in West Yorkshire passed along. The recipe uses a suet pastry dough. But I suppose you could use lard, or even butter, in a pinch. Delicious recipe, though.

[Bolas De Fraile]

Steamed suet crust leek pud food of the gods, have you tried the snake and pigmy filling.?
This is nirvana for suet lovers, the recipes will put hairs on your palms http://www.atora.co.uk

[Steve Kroll]

Originally Posted by Bolas De Fraile

Steamed suet crust leek pud food of the gods, have you tried the snake and pigmy filling.?

You mean Kate and Sidney, right?

Had it once in London. I liked it. But kidney is more difficult to find than suet in these parts.

[Alix]

I've been reading this and I'm just a touch confused. Is your lard primarily rendered pork fat? The lard I buy is rendered beef fat I think. I'm fortunate though, the stuff I buy is also non hydrogenated.

[Steve Kroll]

Alix, Lard is rendered pork fat. It can come from any part of the pig, though "leaf lard" is the best, and comes from the rendered fat surrounding the kidneys.

Rendered beef fat is called Tallow. It's made from suet, which is the fat surrounding the kidneys of a cow.

So, tallow and lard come from the same part of the anatomy, just different animals.

And you're right - non-hydrogenated is by far the best way to go.