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Five Tips for Creating Pie Excellence
  • Chill, chill, chill—this is my montra for the perfect pie crust.  All ingredients must be cold especially any fats such as Crisco butter-flavored all-vegetable shortening, butter, or lard.  Chill your bowl, pastry blenders, and all utensils. 
  • After “cutting in the fat” (using a pastry blender to mix dry ingredients and fats) use your fingers to blend in water and form a satiny ball of dough.  Using your palms will warm the dough while your fingers will not. 
  • If using a food processor to make your pie pastry, chill processor bowl and blade before adding ingredients.  Then add dry ingredients and fats.  Pulse only 5 to 6 times.  Check to see if contents resemble small peas or coarse meal.  If not, pulse 1 or 2 more times.  Pour contents into a bowl and then blend in water using fingers.  Do not blend in water using processor as this will liquefy fats. 
  • Chill finished pastry dough before rolling out.  Wrap tightly in a piece of plastic wrap.  Press down to form a disk for easy rolling out after chilling.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.  If your dough is chilled properly, after rolling out, filling, and then placing in a preheated oven, the pieces that resemble “small peas” or “coarse meal” will burst open during the baking and release steam.  This will make the perfect flakey pie crust. 
  • Use Crisco butter-flavored cooking spray in your pie dish before adding your rolled out pie pastry.  This will make cutting and serving your baked and cooled pie a breeze. 

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