Holiday Recipe--Flaky Food Processor Pie Crust

Flaky Food Processor Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter,cubed
5 tablespoons shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, set pitcher in ice bath to ensure it is COLD! Ice Water

Freeze your shortening and butter in small pieces. I just keep this measurement in an old sour cream container in the freezer so that I can make crust at any time.
1.Measure the flour into the processor with the regular blade attached. Add the frozen unsalted butter, and frozen shortening, cut into cubes. (Your fat should be frozen or very cold. You may vary the proportions, or use some lard, but the total should be 9 tablespoons.) Add salt. Pulse three times, with three counts per pulse to lightly mix the ingredients.
2.With the motor running, pour whipping cream into the workbowl just until the dough just starts to get noticeably crumbly. Don't wait until it is a big clump or it will be way too wet and will turn out tough.
3.Stop the machine, dump the crumbly dough into a bowl, and gather the dough into a ball with your hand. (You might want to dip your hands into ice water so that they are not too warm) You can squeeze it a bit to make it stick together. If it just won't form a ball, add a tiny bit iced water. (Note that if you are making crust in the food processor, you will use less fluid than most recipes call for.)
4.Wrap your dough ball in wax paper or plastic wrap and chill it about 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Roll it out on a cool surface if you can. Then follow your pie recipe for baking.
5. Don’t forget to brush the bottom crust with whipped egg whites to prevent getting a soggy bottom crust. I did this and all of my crusts were flaky-NOT soggy on the bottom. Found this clue online!

My sister got on to me because one Thanksgiving I made pies with frozen crust. She said, "You being the cook you are, I would have thought you would make crust from scratch." I had always had such failures in the past that I was not enthused about trying.

Christmas, I made it my mission to try, by the way I was now 54 years old! Goes to show you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Well, the result was so enheartening! There was not a crumb of crust on any plate left after my homemade pies were served and they had eaten. My sister said it was the best crust she had ever eaten.

Well, she commented to me this summer, that she was cleaning out her freezer and made a comment about her boxed frozen crust. I said, "Now wait a minute. You got on to me for serving frozen crust and you have it in your freezer?!?!" She said, "Well, its is good enough for me but not you!" So, I like homemade better anyway. I wish I had learned sooner!