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1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, vegetable shortening or lard, butter and salt. Working quickly, use your fingertips to rub the flour and fat together until they look like flakes of coarse meal.
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2. Pour 6 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture, toss together, and press and knead gently with your hands until the dough can be gathered into a compact ball. Dust very lightly with flour, wrap in wax paper and chill for at least ½ hour.
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3. Lightly butter a 9-inch pie plate and divide the ball of dough into 2 parts, one a third larger than the other. On a floured surface, roll out the. larger half of dough into a circle about 1/8 inch thick and 13 to 14 inches in diameter.
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4. Lift it up on the rolling pin and unroll it over the pie plate. Be sure to leave enough slack in the middle of the pastry to enable you to line the plate without pulling or stretching the dough.
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5. Trim the excess pastry with a sharp knife, so that the pastry is even with the outer rim of the pie plate. Roll the smaller half of the dough into a rectangle 12 inches long and about 1/8 inch thick.
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6. With a sharp knife or pastry wheel, cut it into 6 strips about 1 inch wide. Refrigerate both the pie shell and the pastry strips while you make the filling.
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7. FILLING: Place the prunes and apricots in a small enameled or stainless-steel saucepan, and pour in enough water to cover them by about an inch. Bring the water to a boil.
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8. Boil rapidly for 4 to 5 minutes, then drain in a sieve. Dry the fruit with paper towels, and cut each prune and apricot into 4 pieces. Combine them in a mixing bowl with the walnuts, sugar, grated lemon rind and vanilla.
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9/b>.Add the melted butter and, with a large spoon, mix together thoroughly. Spoon the filling into the pie shell. Arrange the reserved 3 strips of dough ¾ of an inch apart across the top of the pie and crisscross the other 3 strips of dough over them. With your fingers, tuck the ends firmly under the rim of the pie plate to secure them.
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10. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the crisscross strips of pastry with the 1 tablespoon of melted butter and bake the pie in the middle of the oven for about 1 hour, or until the pastry is golden brown and the fruit is tender. Serve warm or at room temperature, accompanied by unsweetened whipped cream if you like.
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