1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup frozen lard or shortening cut into, bits
3 tbsp ice water
Directions
To ensure a tender crust, this recipe should not be doubled.
Thoroughly freezing the lard or shortening will give you the flakiest
crust.
PLACE THE FLOUR AND SALT in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 2-3
times. Scatter the lard or shortening over the flour mixture.
Sprinkle with the water and process about 5 seconds or until dough
just begins to form. Shape into a ball, then flatten it slightly.
Dust lightly with flour and place in the center of a 2-gallon-size
plastic storage bag. It may be refrigerated at this point up to 40
minutes. With the storage bag open and the dough circle centered in
the bag, roll the dough into a circle that almost touches the edges
of the bag. Cut and discard the top sheet of the plastic bag so that
the dough is lying on the bottom sheet. Flip onto the pie plate; peel
the plastic off and discard. Cut the pastry so it hangs about an inch
over the rim. Lightly press the overhanging pastry under (between the
pastry and the pie tin). Pinch or crease the edges of the pastry in a
zigzag or fluted pattern. This is not only decorative, it also acts
as a wall to keep the filling in. Yield: 1 single-crust 8- to 10-inch
pie shell.
Servings: 1 servings
All-American Pie Pastry Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Dessert; Pie
The History of Recipes
It is quite possible to prove the history of transcribed cooking instructions far back into antiquity, in fact as far back as early Egypt, and quite possibly further than that. In practice though, these, early cook books were just basic pictorial recipes for preparing meals.
Interestingly, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to experts in ancient history are some stone tablets in the Sumerian language describing the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who drank it feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. As our culinary historical trip moves to more modern times there were some interesting books which date from the 14th Century : a recipe book called `Forme of Cury`, and another named `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are somewhat misleading tho`, these are not about the indian curry that we all know today, but rather descriptions of the types of food prepared for the upper classes of that period. In the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought us a variety of spices and herbs from Arab countries, including basil and rosemary. These new foods and tastes prompted a torrent in books on cookery, most of which still exist in academic collections. Over the following few centuries, the rich and powerful families of Europe strove to offer the most exotic meals, and as a consequence, the best cooks and their collection of recipes became highly prized. However, it wasn`t until the nineteenth century that fine cooking and recipe books became really popular. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, devoted much of their lives to assembling, testing, and recording recipes to help cooks of their time. The arrival of TV brings us TV chefs and the recipe books that accompanied them. Which brings us neatly up to date and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting everybody to access massive numbers of recipes just like those on this web site. |
We hope you enjoy this All American Pie Pastry recipe.
