Nancy Silvertons Sweet Pie Pastry Shell Recipes

BASIC SWEET PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and shortening. Rub the fats between your fingertips and thumbs, or use a pastry blender, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. One tablespoon at a time, work in enough ice water just until the dough comes together, being careful not to over mix.
• Shape into a smooth ball of dough, flatten into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to two days.

NANCY SILVERTON'S SWEET PIE PASTRY SHELL

Steps:

• Place flour and sugar in a food processor bowl; pulse to blend. Cut chilled butter into 1/2" cubes, add to bowl and pulse just until it looks like cornmeal. Blend yolks and cream and add to bowl; pulse just until it comes together a bit. Dump onto a lightly floured cool surface and gather into a ball, adding more cream if necessary. Using fraisage method, smear handfuls of dough across board with the heel of your hand to make thin leaves of butter throughout the dough. Don't overdo it; the dough must never really warm up or get too uniform. Gather into a ball and wrap with plastic; chill in refrigerator for at least two hours. Place on board and let warm enough to handle. Roll out in short strokes from center to fill your pie plate. Chill dough in plate for another hour. Preheat oven to 350. Line shell with parchment, big round coffee filters or foil and fill with weights or beans, pressing carefully to fill entire bottom of shell. Bake for 25 minutes, until crust is golden. Remove from oven and cool completely. Remove weights and lining. If it is still damp on the bottom, return to oven for a few minutes to crispen. Note: you can parbake shell for only 15 minutes, remove from oven, remove lining and weights and return to oven for 10 more minutes. Then cool at least 15 minutes before adding filling. Bake for length needed for filling, taking care to cover crimped rim with foil or a pie guard to protect edges from becoming cinders.

AUNT NANCY'S FLAKY PASTRY CRUST

Steps:

• Cut shortening into flour with a pastry blender or with two butter knives until it resembles a coarse meal.
• Add cold water gradually and mix until the flour/shortening comes together to form a ball that holds its shape and is not sticky. If necessary, add more water or flour.
• Divide ball in two, and roll each separately into a circle large enough to fit your pie pan.
• For a double crust filled pie, place one shell into pie pan. Add pie filling and top with other crust. Bake as directed on pie filling recipe.
• For 2 single crust pies, place each shell into 2 pie pans, add filling and bake as directed on pie filling recipe.
• For 2 single crust pre-baked shells, place each shell into a pie pan and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before filling.

SWEET PASTRY SHELL

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add sugar and egg yolks; pulse until dough comes together. Turn dough out on a piece of plastic wrap, form into a ball, wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a fluted 12-inch tart pan with a removeable bottom on a baking sheet. Coarsely grate chilled pastry into pan. Press dough down evenly, about 1/8-inch thick, on the bottom and up sides of pan; do not let pastry warm. Chill again for at least 30 minutes.
• Line shell with parchment paper and pie weights. Bake until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow shell to cool before filling, and remove pie weights.