2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp sugar
5 tbsp cold salted butter
6 1/2 tbsp cold unsalted butter
3 tbsp vegetable shortening
3 tbsp ice water, plus
1 tsp ice water
Directions
This is a good basic pie crust recipe from Lindsey Shere at Chez
Panisse. It is flaky and has a good butter flavor.
MIX THE FLOUR, SALT AND SUGAR in a bowl. Cut the salted butter in
pieces 1/3-inch thick and quickly cut them into the flour mixture
until it is the texture of cornmeal. You can do this with a pastry
blender, with your hands by rubbing quickly and lightly between your
fingers, or in an electric mixer or food processor. Cut in the
unsalted butter and the vegetable shortening until they are in larger
pieces, about 1/8- to 1/4-inch in diameter. This helps to make the
dough flaky. Sprinkle in the 3 tablespoons ice water, tossing the
dough lightly with a fork to moisten it evenly. Use another teaspoon
of water if necessary to make the dough hold together. Stir the dough
with the fork until it has come together in small lumps and there is
no dry flour left. Divide the dough in half and press it into two
balls. Be careful not to knead it--just squeeze it together. Kneading
activates the gluten, which makes the dough tough. However, if the
dough is crumbly, knead it together very briefly. Wrap tightly in
plastic and chill for at least 4 hours. During this time, the enzymes
in the flour will mellow the gluten to permit the water to be
absorbed completely; this conditioning will help to prevent shrinkage
and toughness later. Makes enough for two 9-inch pie shells.
Servings: 2 servings
Chez Panisse Pastry Crust Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Dessert
The History of Recipes
It is possible to track the history of written recipes far back into antiquity, at least as far back into history as pharonic Egypt, and maybe even further. Having said that, sadly, these early cook books were just basic pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing meals.
In fact, the oldest recipe discovered, according to historians are some stone tablets in Sumerian which recount the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making drinkers feel `blissful`. Moving our culinary historical trip onwards, we find a couple of interesting recipe books which date from the 1300s ; a cookery book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary named `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are somewhat misleading tho`, they are unconnected to the curry that is familiar to us all today, but instead accounts of the types of food on the tables of the upper classes. In the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought us many spices and herbs from the holy land, including spices such as parsley and basil. These new foods and tastes was responsible for a torrent in publications on food, most of which are now in private cookery archives. Over the next few hundred years, the upper classes competed with each other to lay on the most exotic meals, and consequentially chefs and their recipe collections were much in demand. However, it was during the nineteenth century that formal cookery and recipe books rose to prominence. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated the best years of their lives to assembling, trying out, and publishing recipes that were common in the better off homes of the day. When we get to the 1900s, cookbooks were in high demand, mostly due to better eduction, increased leisure time and having more disposable income. The arrival of TV gave us cooking programs and the recipe books that accompanied them. Which brings us neatly to the present day and the invention of the internet, allowing everyone to search through massive numbers of recipes just like those on sites such as the one you are reading now. |
We hope you enjoy this Chez Panisse Pastry Crust recipe.
