SINGLE CRUST:
- 1 1/4 C flour
- 3/4 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 Tbsp cold vegetable shortening
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3-4 Tbsp ice water
DOUBLE CRUST:
- 2 1/2 c flour
- 1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in cubes
- 1/4 C cold vegetable shortening
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4-6 Tbsp ice water
Blend together flour, butter, shortening and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughtly pea-sized lumps of butter. For a single-crust pie or a tart, drizzle 3 Tbsp ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated. For a double crust pie, drizzle 4 tbsp ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.
Squeeze a small handful of dough: it if doesn’t hold together, add more ice water 1/2 Tbsp at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated. Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.
Turn dough out onto a work surface. For a single crust pie or tart divide dought into 4 portions; for a double crust, divide dough into 8 portions. With the heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all dough together, with a pastry scraper if you have one.
For a single crust pie, press into a ball then flatten into a 5 in disk. For a double crust, divide dough in half, form into a ball and flatten each into a 5 inch disk. If sticky, lightly dust with flour. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
Gourmet