Old Fashioned Pie Crust Recipes

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, shortening, sugar, and salt. Blend together with a pastry cutter until crumbly.
• In a small bowl, mix egg with water. Blend into flour mixture. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use.

Steps:

• For the crust: Pulse the flour, shortening, granulated sugar, vinegar and salt in a food processor until it looks like fine meal. Add the butter, and pulse until it is in pea-size pieces. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of the ice water, and pulse until the dough begins to come together. Pinch the dough with your fingers; if it doesn't hold together, add up to 2 teaspoons more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time, pulsing and checking the dough after each addition. Wrap the dough tightly, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or preferably overnight.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 375 degrees F. Roll the dough into a disc 11 to 12 inches wide on a lightly floured surface. Sandwich the dough between pieces of parchment or wax paper on a baking sheet, and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. Lay the dough in an 8-inch pie pan so it extends about 1/2 inch beyond the edge of the pan. Fold the outer edge of the dough up under itself, and crimp decoratively between your index finger and forefinger. Poke the dough all over with a fork, and refrigerate for 10 minutes more. Line the pie crust with parchment or foil, fill with pie weights or beans and bake until the dough appears dry to the touch, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights, and continue cooking the crust until it's light brown and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes more. Let the crust cool completely on a wire rack.
• For the filling: Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Whisk the heavy cream, granulated sugar, yolks, egg, bourbon, zest, cherry juice and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Place the cooled crust on a rimmed baking sheet, and pour the custard into the crust. To avoid overbrowning, cut 2 strips of aluminum foil to wrap over the crust edges. Carefully transfer the pie to the oven, and bake until the custard is set but still has a slight jiggle, 50 to 60 minutes. Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack, about 4 hours. If serving the next day, let cool completely, then wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• For the bourbon whipped cream: Beat the confectioners' sugar and bourbon in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed. Add the heavy cream, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until firm peaks form, about 1 minute.
• Put six 2-tablespoon dollops of the whipped cream around the pie, and top each with a cherry. Twist the orange slices, and place them in between the whipped cream dollops. Serve the pie with the remaining whipped cream.

Steps:

• Whisk flour with salt in a bowl; use a fork to stir in vegetable oil. Mix in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, before adding more water. Gather dough into a ball, divide in half, and roll out on a floured work surface.

Steps:

• Combine the flour, sugar (if using), and salt in a large bowl; refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Add the shortening to the dry ingredients and toss it with your hands to coat, then break it up into smaller pieces. Using a pastry blender, cut the shortening into the dry ingredients until the pieces of fat are roughly the size of small peas and everything looks like it has been touched by the fat. There should be no dry, floury areas.
• Mound the ingredients in the center of the bowl. Drizzle about half of the water down the sides of the bowl, turning the bowl as you pour so the water doesn't end up in one spot. Using a large fork, lightly mix the dough, tossing it from the perimeter toward the center of the bowl. Drizzle most of the remaining water here and there over the dough and toss again.
• Mix the dough vigorously now. The dough should start to gather in large clumps, but if it is dry in places, stir in the rest of the water.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pack it into a ball, then knead it several times to smooth it out. Put the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten it into a ¾-inch-thick disk. Wrap the disk and refrigerate for about 1 hour before rolling.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Beat eggs until frothy.
• Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.
• Add eggs; mix well.
• Add corn syrup, melted butter, and vanilla.
• Mix oatmeal.
• Pour into uncooked shell.
• Bake for 45 minutes.

Steps:

• DOUGH: Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes (this size is important, as smaller pieces will melt too fast) and toss with flour mixture to break up the pieces. With your fingertips, smash each cube flat-that's it! No rubbing or cutting. Stir in water, then knead dough against the sides of the bowl until it comes together in a shaggy ball. Dough temperature should register between 65 and 70°F (18 and 21°C); if not, refrigerate briefly before rolling and folding. LAYERS: On a generously floured work surface, roll dough into a roughly 10- by 15-inch rectangle. Fold the 10-inch sides to the center, then close the newly formed packet like a book. Fold in half once more, bringing the short sides together to create a thick block. Divide in half with a sharp knife or bench scraper. Dough temperature should still be somewhere between 65 and 70°F (18 and 21°C); if not, refrigerate briefly before proceeding. FOR SINGLE CRUSTED PIES: Using as much flour as needed, roll one piece into a 14-inch circle and drape across a 9-inch pie plate; it will be super easy to lift by hand. Dust off excess flour with a pastry brush, using it to nestle dough into the very corners of the pan. With scissors or kitchen shears, trim the edge so that it overhangs by 1 1/4 inches all around. Fold overhang over itself to create a thick border that sits atop the rim of the pan. Crimp or shape crust as desired. Repeat with remaining dough. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Use as directed in your favorite recipe. FOR DOUBLE CRUSTED PIES: Using as much flour as needed, roll one piece into a 14-inch circle and drape across a 9-inch pie plate; it will be super easy to lift by hand. Dust off excess flour with a pastry brush, using it to nestle dough into the very corners of the pan. With scissors or kitchen shears, trim the edge so that it overhangs by 1 inch all around. For a solid top crust, roll remaining dough as before, or roll into a 9- by 15-inch rectangle for a lattice-top pie. Transfer the entire sheet, uncut, to a baking sheet or parchment-lined cutting board. (The parchment will prevent dough from absorbing any savory odors from the board.) Wrap both portions in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Use as directed in your favorite recipe. FOR A BLIND-BAKED PIE: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 350°F (177°C). Line chilled pie shell with a large sheet of aluminum foil, pressing so it conforms to the curves of the plate (a second sheet of aluminum may be needed for full coverage). Fill to the brim with sugar, transfer to a half sheet pan, and bake until fully set and golden around the edges, 60 to 75 minutes. Fold long sides of foil toward the middle, gather short sides, and use both hands to carefully transfer sugar to a heat-safe bowl. Let sugar cool to room temperature. If needed, continue baking crust a few minutes more to brown along the bottom.

Steps:

• Mix together all dry ingredients.
• Blend in shortening with pastry cutter of two forks until mixture resembles coarse meal; shortening should be coated with the flour mixture.
• Make a well in the middle of this mixture; add water until moistened.
• Mix with a fork.
• Dough will not be completely moist; some dry spots will be evident.
• Pull mixture together with your hands until it holds shape.
• Cover and chill 1 hour or overnight.
• Roll out as you would any pie crust.
• Cook according to your pie recipe.
• This makes a super crust for my Old Fashioned Apple Pie, and is the crust I specify in that recipe.
• Makes 1- 9 or 10 inch double pie crusts.