How to: Bake a flaky pie crust

Ingredients
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) butter, cold
½ cup lard or vegetable shortening, cold
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons very cold water

Preparation
Using a pastry cutter or your hands, work the cold butter and lard into the flour and salt until you have a mealy, pebbly consistency.

Add the water and work the dough into a small square.

Cut the dough in half and wrap and freeze one half for another use (unless you’re making apple or another two-crust pie).

Roll half the dough out until ¼-inch thick and drape it into a buttered 9-inch pie pan. Use the tines of a fork to prick holes in the bottom of the crust, then place in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the crust for about 25 minutes, until lightly golden.

The crust dough can be made up to one day in advance. Cool completely before filling.

Makes 2 9-inch pie crusts

Reprinted from Real Cajun by Donald Link.  Copyright © 2009 Donald Link.  Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc.

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