1 c Unbleached white flour
3/8 ts Salt
4 tb Cold unsalted butter;
– cut into small cubes
1 1/2 tb Solid vegetable shortening
2 1/2 tb Ice water, more if necessary
This versatile dough can be the basis for either fruit or meat pies. The
recipe comes from Deborah Madison’s “The Greens Cookbook” (Bantam, 1987).
COMBINE THE FLOUR AND SALT in a bowl; then add the butter and shortening.
With your hands, work the fat and flour together, sliding and flattening
the mixture between your palms, or thumb and fingertips, until the butter
and shortening are evenly distributed. Add 2 1/2 tablespoons cold water and
lightly work it into the flour, using your fingers, slightly cupped
together, or a fork. Gather the dough into a ball, sprinkle a few drops of
water over any remaining dry ingredients and gather them together. Cover
the dough with waxed paper or plastic wrap, flatten it into a disk, and let
it rest at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before using. The dough can
also be frozen at this point for future use. When you are ready to roll the
dough, lightly flour the work surface and the top of the dough. If it is
stiff from the cold, let it sit for 20 minutes before you roll it out. Roll
it out with firm, even strokes into a circle about 1/8-inch thick. Pick it
up on the rolling pin and slide it onto the pie dish or tart mold. Or,
alternatively, fold it into quarters, lay it with the point in the center
of the pan, then unfold. Trim the edges, leaving an overhang of an inch or
so; then fold the overhang under and crimp the edge. To partially pre-bake
the crust, first freeze the empty shell until it is quite firm. If you
intend to freeze the crust for an extended period of time, wrap it in foil.
When ready to use, preheat the oven to 425F. Set the frozen tart shell
directly into the oven and bake until the crust has a “set” appearance and
is just beginning to color, about 8-to-10 minutes. While the crust is
baking, check to see that the bottom is now swelling with steam and air. If
it does, prick it lightly with a paring knife. More traditionally, the
crust may be prebaked unfrozen, first lining it with buttered foil, filling
the foil with pie weights or dry beans, then baking, as above, until the
edges are set and slighted browned. Makes 1 9-Inch Pie or Tart
From
Yields
1 Servings