wheelz,
butter is what my daughter and i use when we make the shells for the caramel walnut tart with a ganuache topping. it is great fun to do in the florida heat. take the dough out work it a little and back into the frige to cool the butter back down
the results however are worth it!!!
your wife for sure sounds like a really great baker and you are one lucky man!!!!! just be sure to make her leave the recipe to the grandkids one day.
dennis-ut,
for my money lard is easier to work with than butter due to the heat here but on some things like the tart it has to be butter just cause the french say so. i guess the best part is the chilled butter releaves the pain which comes when you whip in heavy cream which boils at 212 into a hot sugar mixture that you pull around 335 when the cream goes in. this stuff has to be illegal under geneva convention rules for war as it sticks and stays real hot on an exposed skin
so maybe them ole frenchies had a method to the madness.
jack