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So apple season is in full swing, with the holidays coming up right behind it.  For any of you who want to volunteer to be the pie-bringer to festive occasions, don’t submit to the temptation of pre-made crust.  You can make your own magnificent pie crust with the following simple recipe, a few tools, and a few minutes.

For ONE pie crust (double this if you’re doing a top-and-bottom crust pie):

1 c. all-purpose flour, 1 T. sugar,1/4 t. salt, 6 T. very cold butter, 2 T. very cold lard, and a glass of ice water

You will need a pastry cutter, a fork, and a medium/large bowl.  In the bowl, mix the first three ingredients well with the fork.  Cut the cold butter and lard into chunks, letting them fall into the flour mixture.  Work the chunks into the flour with the pastry cutter until pea-sized lumps remain.  Put down the pastry cutter, take up the fork, and gradually add the ice water in the bowl while stirring vigorously.  Stop adding water as soon as the dough begins to form into shreds and chunks.  Check to see if the crust has enough moisture by squeezing a small palmful.  If it holds together when dropped lightly into the bowl,  you’re just about done.  If the dough chunk can’t hold together, add a bit more water, stir again, and check again.  The key to a tender, flaky pie crust is being able to see chunk of fats in the finished, raw dough.  If you can’t see the chunks, you’ve overmixed it or you’ve added too much water.  As soon as the dough is cohesive, form it into a disk, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the fridge for at least an hour.  I often let the dough chill overnight, too.

When you’re ready to roll, sprinkle your surface, your rolling pin, and your unwrapped crust disk with flour.  Be sure to leave the bag of flour open and nearby in case you find the crust sticking to your counter or pin.  Grease your pie plate.  The key to rolling a round crust of even thickness is to apply even pressure from the center of the disk outward just once, then rotate the disk one-half turn, checking at each turn to make sure the dough is not sticking to the counter.  Lift it lightly and flour beneath it if it gets sticky.  When the disk is large enough, put your pin on the far side of it, flop the edge of the crust over the pin and toward you, and roll the crust up lightly on to the pin.  Place the close edge of the crust on the lip of the pie plate, and simply unroll it from the pin, letting it fall across the pie plate.  Press the crust lightly up against all sides of the pie plate.  You’re done! 

Now you’re ready to do whatever you need to with the crust.  Don’t prick it unless you’re baking the shell separately before adding the filling.  You do know about blind-baking, don’t you?  That’s a story for another day.

Oh, but here’s another quick tip.  For quiche crust, don’t add sugar, and replace the lard with another two tablespoons of butter. Or, if you’re watching cholesterol, whisk seven tablespoons of olive oil into the flour and salt, and then add in room temperature water until the right consistency is reached.  The flakiness won’t be there, but the olive oil makes the crust meltingly tender and provides an awesome flavor backdrop, especially to quiches that incorporate tomato, zucchini, artichokes, et al.