English Cheese Pie

-CRUST-
2 c Unbleached Flour 4 T Butter; Chilled, *
1/2 t Salt 3 T Shortening; Chilled
2 t Sugar; Granulated 5 T Water; Cold

* DO NOT use margarine in this recipe.
———————
—————— CRUST: Sift together the flour, salt and sugar
into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the butter to the flour all at
once. Mix together until well blended. Then add the shortening and
continue to blend by cutting it into the flour mixture. The mixture
will begin to look like crumbs or small pebbles. It will have the
texture of oatmeal. Sprinkle the water over the dough, distributing
it evenly throughout. The dough will be come sticky and cling
together. Gather it into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill
for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
When the pastry has chilled, roll it out on a pastry board to a
thickness of 1/8-inch. The easiest way is to roll the dough between
2 sheets of waxed paper.
Roll the dough up onto the rolling pin and transfer it to a 9-inch
pie tin. Gently press it into the tin without stretching it. Use the
excess pastry to make flutes or cut away the excess with a sharp
knife or scissors. Prick the bottom of the pastry shell thoroughly
to prevent trapped air from bubbling the dough. Butter a sheet of
aluminum foil and place the foil down into the shell. Weight it down
with weights or beans to keep the crust from lifting up. Bake the
crust for 7 to 10 minutes then remove the weight and the foil. Return
the crust to the oven and continue baking for another 8 to 10 minutes
or until the crust is lightly browned. If you have difficulty rolling
out the dough, do not reroll it; just patch the tears or holes.
Rerolling will make the pastry tough. FILLING: Preheat the oven to
350 degrees F. Press the cottage cheese through a sieve. In a small
saucepan, gently heat the cream and the sherry until steamy, do not
allow it to scorch. In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, egg
yolks, sugar, rosewater, and the spices until frothy — about 5
minutes. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cottage cheese until it is
smooth then add the egg mixture and blend well. Add the hot cream
and sherry slowly to the cheese mixture and beat until well blended.
Stir in the currants and pour the mixture into the prepared crust.
Bake for about 30 minutes, then allow to cool. Chill and sprinkle
with cinnamon.

Yields
8 servings