When It Comes to Mother's Day Baking, Mom Knows Best (But with Recipes from Coast Packing, Give Her the Day Off)
The best gifts for mom always come from the heart but sometimes stop first at the oven – so suggests Coast Packing Company, the leading supplier of animal fat shortenings in the Western U.S.
This Mother’s Day, Coast is offering a trio of recipes that are sure to please mom and her family this May 8. “We believe in natural, minimally processed food, and there’s nothing quite like baking from scratch to make that Mother’s Day gathering even more special,” said Eric R. Gustafson, CEO of the 93-year-old company. “Home-based bakers and chefs are always wise to avoid industrially-produced partially hydrogenated fats in favor of animal fat shortenings, which have the benefit of being consistently delicious and, in moderation, promoting health.”
With appreciation to tasteofhome.com, NPR’s Weekend Edition and mariasfarmcuntrykitchen.com, Coast wishes mothers, grandmothers and moms-to-be a wonderful Mother’s Day. The recipes follow:
Mom always knew the best pie crusts are made with lard. The results of this recipe is one of the flakiest crusts I have ever had. It is so easy too!—Virginia Jung, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1½ cups all-purpose flour Pinch salt ½ cup lard 3 to 4 tablespoons cold waterIn a bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle in water, a tablespoon at a time, until pastry holds together. Shape into a ball; chill for 30 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Transfer to a 10-inch pie plate. Flute edges; fill and bake as pie recipe directs. Yield: 1-10-inch crust.
Mom’s War Cake(NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday)
1 lb raisins ½ cup lard 3 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1 tbsp baking soda 2 cups sugar4 cups flour
Preheat oven to 325° Stew raisins for 15 minutes in 2 cups of water. Add 1 cup of cold water. Stir and drain, reserving water. Add rest of ingredients, using water from raisins to moisten.Bake for 1 hour
Ingredients: The dough: 2½ cups flour (white or King Arthur White Whole Wheat) ½ teaspoon salt 1/3 cup, plus a dab, cold lard1/3 cup (by feel) cold water (or more, maybe a lot more; your mileage may vary)
The innards: 1 pound ground beef 4 peeled and cubed potatoes ½ onion, chopped Salt to taste Pepper to taste 4 tablespoons butterA few dabs of milk
Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. 2. Mix all the dough ingredients together in a bowl, adding the water in small amounts until you have a nice, soft, and fully moisturized wad of dough. It should hold together well. No need to refrigerate. 3. Separate the dough into four balls (or however many you want—fewer if you want big pasties, more if you prefer them smaller). 4. On a floured surface roll out each dough ball. Add the ground beef, potatoes, onions, salt, pepper, and a generous dab of butter. Pull the dough up around the stuffing and crimp together (the final shape should look kind of like a football). Dab a little milk on the top and poke some holes with a fork. Repeat until all pasties are assembled. 5. Place the pasties on a baking sheet (one that has raised sides, so dripping lard doesn’t leak all over the oven). Bake for 15 minutes at 425°, then turn down the oven to 375° and bake for another 40 minutes or until done (usually sooner). 6. Enjoy! (There is no real right or wrong with this recipe, so feel free to adapt it to your preferences. But lard definitely makes the best crust… and the crust is the best part!)