Basic Pie Crust Recipe:
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Crisco vegetable shortening, plain or butter-flavored (see Cook’s Note)
1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt
3 tablespoons ice water
1. Mix flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut shortening into the flour with a pastry cutter, until mixture resembles the texture of tiny split peas. Do not use your hands to try and mix it, the heat from you hands will melt the shortening, causing the pastry to be “heavy”, not light and flaky.
2. Once mixture is the right texture, add the ice water and combine with a fork. It may appear as if it needs more water, it does not. Quickly gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a 4-inch-wide disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
3. Remove dough disk from refrigerator. If stiff and very cold, let stand until dough is cool but malleable.
4. Using a floured rolling pin, roll dough disk on a lightly floured surface from the center out in each direction, forming a 12-inch circle. To transfer dough, carefully roll it around the rolling pin, lift and unroll dough, centering it in an ungreased 9-inch regular or deep-dish pie plate. (Or you can fold dough in quarters, then place dough point in center of pie pan and unfold dough, whatever is easiest for you.)
Makes one 9-inch pie crust.
Fillings:
Warrant – “Cherry Pie”
Al Jarreau – “Sweet Potato Pie”
Fats Domino – “Blueberry Hill”
Presidents of the United States of America – “Peaches”
The Beatles – “Honey Pie” and “Wild Honey Pie”
U2 – “Lemon”
Atmosphere – “Apple”
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What kind of filling will you use?
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Last week Procul Harum kept commenter David_E from falling into a deep blue depression, as “Whiter Shade of Pale” held off a challenge from the Urban Dance Squad’s “Deeper Shade of Soul” and took home 61% of the votes. Join us again next week, as we move on from to physical to the metaphysical and tackle the subject of Metaphorical Pie.
