Pie Crust - super crisp for custard pies

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Originally part of pumpkin and yam pie recipe (Cooks Illustrated,Nov 2008, Revisiting Pumpkin Pie). Easier to use as separate recipe and excellent for any pie where the filling is moist and can make the crust soggy.

Nov 2011 - used in pumpkin-yam pie. Excellent. Made cute leaf cutouts and baked separately to decorate pie. They were tasty crackers on their own. Crust did stay crisp - unusually tasty and full of character.

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups (6.25 ozs) unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1 T sugar
  • 6 T cold, unsalted butter in 1/4" slices
  • 1/4 c cold vegetable shortening, cut into 1" (or so) pieces. (Spectrum vegetable shortening is great.)
  • 2 T cold vodka (do not substitute)
  • 2 T cold water

Preparation

Step 1

1) Process 3/4 c flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined.

2) Add butter and shortening and process until dough resembles cottage cheese curds - butter chunks ok, no uncoated flour ~10 sec. Scrape bowl and redistribute flour. Add remaining 1/2 c flour and do 4-6 quick pulses until the dough mass is broken up. Scrape out into a medium bowl.

3) Sprinkle vodka and water onto crumbly dough. With rubber spatula, fold to mix and press down until slightly tacky and sticking together. Flatten into 4" disk. Wrap and chill 45 minutes to 2 days.

4. When ready to make pie, blind bake shell: Prehat Oven to 400 deg. Move rack to lowest position. Place a rimmed baking sheet on rack (this will help make sure you don't break the edge of the crust when putting it in/taking it out of the oven).

5. Roll dough with flour (up to 1/4 c) into a 12" circle about 1/8" thick. Ease into pie plate with a 1" overhang all around. REFRIGERATE NOW 15 minutes.

6. Trim overhang to 1/2" Fold under and flute. REFRIGERATE 15 minutes.

7. Blind bake 15 minutes (lined with foil, filled with pie weights). Remove foil and weights. Rotate plate and bake another 5-10 minutes until brown and crisp. Remove from oven together with baking sheet. Add fillings to complete pie per other recipes.

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