The Quilt Inn Pie Crust

The Quilt Inn Pie Crust

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar or 1 tsp. fresh herb or 1 to 2 tsp. dried herb or spice
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
6 tbsp. vegetable shortening, cold
5 to 6 tbsp. ice water

Directions:
The key to great pastry is to have all the ingredients cold. Work in a cool kitchen
© Aliske Webb 1999. Published by Bookmice.com
The Quilt Inn Country Cookbook Aliske Webb
if you can, and, ideally, do your preparation on marble. Always prepare your pastry and
then turn on the oven. And don’t overwork the dough—it will be tough if you do. (The
crust, that is.)
Combine flour and salt in mixing bowl. Add sugar or herbs. Add butter and
shortening, and working quickly, use a pastry blender, 2 knives, or your fingertips to cut
in the ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle ice water over
the mixture 1 or 2 tbsp. at a time, and toss after each addition. When you can gather
the dough into a ball, you’ve added enough water. Transfer the dough to a cool surface,
and using the heel of your hand, push the dough away 1/4 cup at a time. Repeat until
all dough is “smeared”. This will make a flaky crust. Gather the dough into a ball, divide
in half. Flatten each half slightly, wrap in wax paper and refrigerate 30 minutes to 1
hour.
When you’re ready to bake, roll out the dough, again on a cool table (Formica,
wood or marble are best). Lightly flour the surface and the top of the dough. Rub a bit
of flour on your rolling pin. Flatten the dough into a disk shape and then roll from the
center to the edge. Lift and turn the dough while rolling, sprinkling lightly with flour to
prevent sticking. Rolll the dough until it is about 1/3 inch thick and extends about 1 1/2
to 2 inches beyond the edge of the pie plate. If you need to “patch up” the dough,
moisten the edges with water first so that they will stick together.
When you’re making a two-crust pie, seal the upper and lower crust with water,
and “flute” the edges with a fork. Cut slits in the upper crust to allow steam to escape.
The top crust can be either plain, or try one of the following glazes for a special effect:
brush lightly with milk or cream; sprinkle the crust with sugar; brush with a beaten egg
and water (just a bit) mixture.
© Aliske Webb 1999. Published by Bookmice.com
The Quilt Inn Country Cookbook Aliske Webb
Follow-wing The Leader
Michael and I were sitting on the porch the other day, enjoying some early warm
Spring weather. High overhead a flock of Canadian Geese were circling, preparing to
land in the pond, to pause and refresh, before continuing their long journey North. The
famous V-formation is a familiar and welcome sight, albeit a curious one. Although a
lot of birds flock and fly together, geese seem to be the only birds with such an
organized flight path.
Scientists and aerodynamic experts discovered that the geese fly in this pattern
for a very good reason: as each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird