Pie Crust

Since pie was Dad's favorite dessert, it was important to learn how to make a good pie crust. Mom had me read a cookbook that had 6 pages on how to create a flaky pie crust. I read it through twice and then tried to put what I had read to work, with assistance from Mom. My crust was a success!

That was the first time I realized how well I could learn from a cookbook. It was the start of a life-long love affair with both cooking and cookbooks.

2-Crust Pie Pastry

a non-dairy variation of Mom's recipe

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 oz.) non dairy margarine (or butter), cut into 8 pieces
1/4 cup shortening
Ice water - about 1/2 cup

Have all ingredients cold. I froze the margarine overnight, put the flour and shortening in the freezer for 15 minutes and had icy cold water ready, too.

Place flour and salt into a bowl and mix together. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut the margarine and shortening into the flour until mixture resembles coarse meal. There may be some pea-sized pieces of fat, but most will be very small.

Sprinkle water, a tablespoon at a time, over mixture, stirring gently with a fork until all is moistened (6-8 tablespoons). Press dough gently into a ball. Divide into two equal pieces and make each into a flattened ball. Wrap in plastic and chill before rolling out.

Roll out each piece in turn until it is slightly larger than the pie tin. Keep the piece not being rolled in the plastic wrap. Once rolled out, fit the rolled dough into the pit tin. Trim the edges so that about an inch to an inch and a half hangs down from the rim. Fold that extra dough under and flute the edges.

Now you are ready to fill your unbaked pie shell.