There is no doubt about it. I used to be afraid of crust. Yep, making my own pie crust was pee-in-my-pants scary. Even before I joined the Over 50 Girls Club. Was it as scary as fixing fish? Depends. Sorry, couldn’t help myself. Actually, I was scared of both. But I have overcome. And conquered. And you can, too. This is a tasty, flaky pie crust that only takes minutes to prepare. I don’t care WHO you are. You can do this. Easy peasy. Promise! But just like my Mountain Man always says (especially when he wants to buy a new/different type of power tool), every job is easier with the right tools! For years I used a fork and knife to “cut” a.k.a. blend the flour, salt, and shortening. Why did it take me so long to buy one of these? That’s one of my grandma’s cup towels. She and I (starting at the ripe old age of 5) embroidered more cup towels and pillow cases than Carter has pills. They all got ironed, too, after drying on the line, then sprinkling with water and putting them into a big plastic bag for a while. So did the pillow cases. . . and sheets. Amazing how many memories a little cup towel can conjure. And, you need some of this: And one big round bowl. My three big secrets to perfect pie crust each and every time. No fail. No kidding. So, here’s the scoop. You know, I’ve never used butter, I’ve always used shortening. I love to cook with butter, just not this time. And, I have no idea where I got the recipe, it’s been too long. So my apologies to my mom, or Crisco, or Betty, or whomever for not giving them credit. Patience is short. Memory is shorter. Perfect Pie Crust 2 cups flour 1 tsp salt 2/3 cup +2Tbsp vegetable shortening 5 Tbsp COLD water (this is sooooooo important) In a small bowl or glass, put a few ice cubes. Fill with water and set aside. In a large bowl, put in flour, then salt and stir around a bit. Add shortening and use pastry cutter to incorporate the shortening with the flour and salt. Continue to “cut” until you have really small, almost uniform in size, little clumps. Using a measuring spoon, measure 5 tablespoons of ice water into the flour mixture. You […]
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