I made this tart for a Julia Child-themed potluck in honor of what would have been her 100th birthday on August 15, 2012, where everyone was asked to bring a homemade dish from one of her cookbooks or TV shows. This is from Season 4: Episode 7 of the French Chef entitled "Strawberry Tarts." In this show that originally appeared on WBGH (Boston) in 1965, she cites the inclusion of 3 Tbsp. of "shortening" in the ingredient list for the pastry dough for the tart shell. I assumed she meant LARD, not Crisco, so that's how I made it. (Julia was an early advocate of good fats). It turned out delicious! This is a very versatile dough that can be used for 10s of different kinds of desserts...so you might want to make a double batch.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 stick (4 oz.) butter
3 Tbsp. lard
1/3 cup ice water

Place the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Cut in the butter and lard with a pastry cutter or fork until you achieve pea-sized pieces of shortening. Add the water and pull the dough together with a fork. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead a couple of times (not too much) to make a smoother dough. Roll out on the floured surface to make a dough shape of your choice about 1/8-inch thick. Paint 1 inch around the circumference with water to make the dough stick to itself when the edges are turned under 1 inch. Use a fork to decorate and seal the edge of the dough and then prick the bottom of the shell so it will not bubble up during baking. Bake at 420 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.

Julia waterproofs the shell with an apricot glaze (recipe below) before putting in a cream patisserie filling (recipe below) and decorating with raw strawberries. The finishing touch is to pour a little of the apricot glaze on top of the strawberries! Voila...and bon appetit!

Pastry cream

2 cups milk
6 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour or granulated flour like Wondra
1 tsp. real vanilla
1 1/2 Tbsp. rum
2 Tbsp butter

This pastry cream goes on top of the cooled tart shell. Heat milk until bubbles form at the edge of pan, but don't boil. Beat egg yolks and gradually add sugar; continue to beat until the mixture is thick and pale in color and forms a ribbon. Add the flour and incorporate. Gradually add the hot milk into the egg mixture while continuously beating so as not to scramble the eggs.

Pour the mixture into a heavy-bottomed clean saucepan and set on medium heat. Stir continuously with whisk until it boils and let continue boil for 2 minutes until thick. Add vanilla, rum and butter. Cool before using.

Waterproof apricot glaze

In order to keep the tart shell from getting soggy after adding the pastry cream, you will need to "waterproof" it with a mildly candied apricot glaze. This method works like a dream.

Choose a good-quality apricot jam, sieve out the peel. For each cup of jam, add 2 Tbsp. sugar and bring to a boil and let it boil as you stir until reaches 228 degrees, which is a soft stage candy. Let it slightly cool before brushing the jam onto the cooled tart shell.....then you can add 1/2-inch of the cream patisserie to the shell and then decorate with fruit. I like to use alternating rows of strawberries and blueberries...for a patriotic theme.

This recipe is from Sylvia Carter who did a great article on the comeback of lard for the Raleigh News-Observer. There are several Feather Spice Cake recipes on the Internet, but they do not contain lard. This recipe has been in her recipe file box for so long that she’s not sure where she got it.

2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1/3 cup lard
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg or mace
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk, divided


BEAT egg whites until frothy. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup of the sugar. Keep beating until very stiff and glossy.

STIR lard in another bowl to soften it; cream in 1 cup sugar. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg or mace and cloves. Add dry ingredients with 3/4 cup of the buttermilk. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute, scraping bottom and sides of bowl.

ADD remaining buttermilk and the egg yolks. Beat 1 minute, scraping.

GENTLY fold in whites mixture.

SCRAPE into 2 greased and floured 8-inch-round pans or a 13x9x2-inch pan. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Cool. Fill and frost with seafoam frosting (Seven-Minute Frosting made with brown sugar) or caramel frosting.

Yield: 1 cake

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/01/21/3552428/lard-the-comeback-fat.html#storylink=cpy

Wiltshire is a major English pig-producing area. Lardy cake is famous in the region and showcases lard in an unexpected way. Equal amounts of lard, raisins or mixed fruit, and sugar are folded between layers of dough, similar to puff pastry. 

Don’t be squeamish about the amount of lard. It may seem like a lot, but when the cake comes together and is baked, the filling is partially absorbed into the dough, and what oozes out is filled with flavor.

You can use your favorite dough, but it must be elastic and pliable. I experimented with spelt, but it does not have enough gluten for this recipe. Traditionally, this cake is not made with cinnamon, but it reminded me of sticky buns, so I added some. Delicious!

Mix the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a bowl and rub in the lard with clean hands or use a fork. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the water, stirring to make pliable dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap and then a towel, set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Turn out onto a floured surface and roll out to a rectangle about 1/4 in thick, about 12x18 inches. Dot the surface with 1/3 of the lard, raisin and/or dried fruit and sugar mixture. Fold into three, bringing one end up and the other end down (or to the left and right) Seal the edge to trap the air and then give the dough a quarter turn. Repeat twice with the remaining lard, fruit and sugar. The goal is to create many layers.

Lightly butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, lightly shape the dough into an oval and place it in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and leave to rise until doubled in size (about 30 minutes). Score the top of the dough in a crisscross pattern and in an oven preheated to 400°F for about 30 minutes or until well risen and golden brown.

Leave to cool in the baking pan for about 10 minutes, which will allow the cake to soak up some of the sugar/lard mixture that will have run out. Eat when cool, or if you can’t wait, slightly cool.

 Contributed by Alexander Cowan, adapted from recipe by James Villas (Leite's Culinaria)

1/2 pound sliced lean applewood-smoked bacon (any good quality bacon)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cayenne pepper to taste
1/3 cup chilled lard
1/2 pound extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup milk

Method
1. In a large skillet, fry the bacon over moderate heat till crisp. Drain on paper towels and crumble finely.

2. Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cayenne. Add the lard and cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter till the mixture is mealy. Add the bacon, cheese, and milk and stir just till the dry ingredients are well moistened.

4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead 4 to 5 times—no more. Pat out the dough about 1/2 inch thick and cut out rounds with a 2-inch biscuit cutter. Pat the scraps together and cut out more rounds. Arrange the rounds on the prepared baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart and bake in the upper third of the oven till golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

5. Let cool, and then store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 18 biscuits.