Don't be scared of pie crust.
For hundreds of years, women made pies without food processors, pastry cutters, marble rolling pins or nonstick Silpat mats. They didn't bother refrigerating all of their ingredients before mixing, and they sure didn't put their shortening/lard/butter in the freezer first.
Read any magazine article or watch any cooking show today and you would think you couldn't make a pie without doing these things. Don't get me wrong. Some of these tips are really helpful, and are the keys to perfect, flaky crusts.
But perfection is too high a standard for me. If I remember to stick the shortening in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes, then great. If I don't, we will still eat pie.
Bon Appetit's July issue includes a recipe for "The Best-Ever Pie Crust." I made a couple of pies this weekend using that recipe's proportions of butter, shortening, flour, sugar, salt and ice water. But I didn't follow the instructions to a T.
I didn't give my dough the recommended rest period. I didn't use a food processor. I probably handled the dough too much. But you know what? It made a really good pie.
I remember Martha Stewart once saying that you should repeat the mantra "light and flaky, light and flaky" while rolling out the dough. I don't believe any pioneer woman ever repeated any pie mantras. And I bet her pies were as good as Martha's.
Here is the Bon Appetit recipe, with my own adapted instructions.
Best-Ever Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup chilled vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
5 tablespoons (or more) ice water
1. Blend flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add butter and shortening. Rub the butter and shortening into the flour with your fingertips. Rub until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
2. Add 5 tablespoons ice water, and mix with a fork. Dough should begin to come together. If not, add more water by teaspoonfuls until it comes together when you pinch it.
3. Gather dough together. Divide in half, and flatten each half into disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour if you have time.
Note: Can be made 3 days ahead, and kept refrigerated. Or, freeze, and then defrost in the refrigerator before using.
