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| What You Need: |
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6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ¼-inch bits, plus 1 tablespoon butter, softened
2 tablespoons lard, chilled and cut into ¼-inch bits
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
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| How To Cook: |
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1. PASTRY DOUGH: In a large chilled bowl, combine the butter bits, lard, flour, sugar and salt. With your fingertips rub the flour and fat together until they look like flakes of coarse meal. Do not let the mixture become oily.
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2. Pour 3 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture all at once, toss together lightly and gather the dough into a ball. If the dough crumbles, add up to 1 tablespoon more ice water, drop by drop, until the particles adhere. Dust the pastry dough with a little flour and wrap it in wax paper. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using.
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3. TO MAKE AN UNFILLED PIE SHELL: Spread 1 tablespoon of softened butter over the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan with a pastry brush. On a lightly floured surface, pat the chilled short-crust pastry dough into a rough circle about 1 inch thick.
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4. Dust a little flour over and under it, and roll it out from the center to within an inch of the far edge of the circle. Lift the dough and turn it clockwise about 2 inches; roll again from the center to within an inch or so of the far edge.
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5. Repeat-lifting, turning, rolling-until the circle is about 1/8 inch thick and 13 to 14 inches in diameter. If the dough sticks to the board or table, lift it gently with a metal spatula and sprinkle a little flour under it.
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6. Drape the dough over the rolling pin, lift it up, and unroll it slackly over the buttered pie pan. Gently press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan, taking care not to stretch it. With a pair of scissors, cut off the excess dough from the edges, leaving a 1-inch overhang all around the outside rim.
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7. TO MAKE A PARTIALLY BAKED PIE SHELL: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll out the short-crust pastry dough as described above and fit it into a buttered 9-inch pie pan. To prevent the unfilled pie shell from buckling as it bakes, spread a sheet of buttered aluminum foil across the pan and press it gently into the bottom and against the sides of the pie shell.
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8. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes, then remove the foil. Bake for another 2 or 3 minutes, or until the pastry is delicately browned. Remove the pie shell from the oven and cool to room temperature before filling.
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| Serving Size: one 9-inch pie shell |
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