Best 7 Shmaltz Recipes

CHEWY SCHMALTZ OATMEAL-RAISIN COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cloves together in a small bowl.
• In a large bowl, beat the schmaltz, butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and well blended, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. Stir in the oats and raisins. Refrigerate the dough until cold, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Scoop heaping, well-packed tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto 2 ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake until the cookies are slightly golden at the edges but still a little soft on top, about 14 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

RENDERED CHICKEN FAT (SCHMALTZ)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the fat and skin scraps in a heavy-bottomed, nonreactive pot ( cast iron , copper, and aluminum can give your schmaltz an off taste). Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the scraps render most of their fat and begin to brown.
• Add the onion, if using. Raise the heat to medium. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken scraps are golden brown and crispy, but not burnt. Turn off the heat and let cool for a few minutes.
• Strain into a heatproof glass or Pyrex container. Canning jars work well for this. A fine-mesh strainer will work in a pinch, but cheesecloth or a paper or cloth coffee filter are best.
• Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to six months.

SCHMALTZ AND GRIBENES

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, toss chicken skin and fat with salt and 1 tablespoon water and spread out in one layer. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, until fat starts to render and skin begins to turn golden at the edges.
• Add onions and cook 45 to 60 minutes longer, tossing occasionally, until chicken skin and onions are crispy and richly browned, but not burned.
• Strain through a sieve. Reserve the schmaltz. If you want the gribenes to be crispier, return to the skillet and cook over high heat until done to taste. Drain gribenes on a paper-towel-lined plate.

SCHMALTZ LATKES

Steps:

• Using a food processor with a coarse grating disc, grate potato and shallot. Transfer mixture to a clean dish towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
• Working quickly, transfer mixture to a large bowl. Toss in flour, egg, salt, baking powder and pepper until combined.
• Heat a medium skillet over medium-high, then pour in about 1/4 inch of schmaltz. Once schmaltz is hot, drop heaping 1/4 cup measures of batter into pan. Use a spatula to flatten the drops into discs. When edges of latkes are crispy, in 5 to 7 minutes, flip them. Cook until second side is golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes more. If latkes get too brown before they are cooked through, lower the heat. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with remaining batter.
• Serve latkes topped with sour cream and applesauce, if you like. Garnish with gribenes if you have them.

GIMME SOME SKIN

Steps:

• Start by removing the skin from the chicken and spread, fat-side down, on paper towels or paper plates to dry. (I'm a huge fan of paper plates in the kitchen.) Be sure to get the skins as flat and stretched as possible. Dry for 10 minutes.
• Crank your waffle iron to high.
• When the skins are dry, move carefully to the waffle iron; depending on your model you may only get a couple of pieces in at a time. Do not allow them to overlap.
• Cook 2 to 3 minutes, then use a spatula or kitchen tweezers to flip and rotate the skins about 45 degrees. Continue cooking until golden brown and crisp: about 5 minutes total. Remove to a rack and season with salt and pepper.
• Repeat until all the skins have been converted into meat crackers, stopping halfway through to carefully pour the rendered fat (schmaltz) into a heatproof bowl. DO NOT DISCARD AS THIS IS ESSENTIALLY GOLD.
• To make sandwiches, brush one side of a single piece of bread liberally with schmaltz.
• Place the bread schmaltz-side down on the waffle iron. Spread with mayonnaise then top with a layer of the skin and season with the marjoram. Spread some mayonnaise on one side of a second slice of bread and close the sandwich, mayonnaise-side down. Brush the top with schmaltz and close the waffle iron lid. Weigh the top of the waffle iron down with a cast-iron skillet or a 28-ounce can of tomatoes.
• After 2 minutes check for doneness. When you peek under the bread corner it should be golden brown and everything should be crisp. EVERYTHING. Repeat the process with the remaining bread and ingredients.
• Serve as is or cut into quarters. Serve with the soup or just binge right then and there with no apologies. If so, shower afterwards.

SCHMALTZ AND GRIBENES

Steps:

• 1. Wash fat and skin well in a colander, and pat dry. Place in a heavy skillet, and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
• 2. Cook, uncovered, over low heat (you can turn it up a bit once the fat has begun melting). When the fat starts to melt and get slightly brown, add onions (and garlic cloves if you like), and continue cooking until onions and cracklings are golden brown and crunchy.
• 3. When partially cooled, strain over a bowl to remove onions and cracklings, and refrigerate them in a covered glass jar. Poor schmaltz into another jar, cover, and refrigerate.

SHMALTZ

Steps:

• Cut up the chicken fat into 1 inch chunks.
• Cut the skin into pieces, about the same size as the fat.
• Cut the onion into quarters, and then into slices.
• Do not mince the onion.
• In a heavy, preferably non-stick pot, place the chicken fat and the skin.
• Over a medium-high fire, let it cook until the fat has melted and the skin is beginning to get golden brown.
• Add the onion and the salt (you decide how much).
• Once you add the onions, don't leave the pot alone.
• Mix frequently to avoid sticking and buring.
• Keep cooking until the onions are a gorgeous golden brown color and the skin pieces are dark brown (but not black).
• The skin has now turned into something heavenly called gribenes.
• Remove the pot from the flame.
• Let cool and then strain the mixture into a glass or metal bowl.
• Pat the gribenes with a paper towel.
• You can now pour the cooled shmaltz into a jar and keep it indefinitely in the fridge or freezer.
• Keep the gribenes separate from the shmaltz in another jar.
• Your shmaltz is now ready to be used in matzo balls, kugels, chopped liver, and for frying.
• Gribenes are best eaten in a sandwich with chopped liver, or sprinkled on the chopped liver as an edible garnish.