1 1/2 c Flour
1 1/2 ts Sugar
3/4 ts -Salt
1/2 c Oil; corn
3 T Milk; cold
"I could never never make a good pie crust. My crusts were always tough or
crumbly, no matter what recipe I'd try. Whenever we had a family
get-together and I'd offer to make a pie, my sister or my niece would say,
"No, Ednie, don't bother. You bring the vegetables, I'll make a pie."
But since my sister Norm gave me her recipe for a pat-in pie crust, I've
had incredible success! Every time! The family no longer reject my
offerings. My crust are crisp and tasty and golden. The edges may not be
perfectly fluted like Norm's are but that's not important. Pat-in crust is
so easy to make. I put all the ingredients into my food processor, give
them a brief whirl, and pour the mixture into a pie plate. I pat it firmly
~ around the edges first, then through the middle - and that's it. No
rolling or wasting bits of pastry, and so fast that it can be done in five
minutes.
Norm doesn't mix her crust in her food processor. She let her husband,
Ralph, blend the ingredients with a fork in the pie plate. Then he can
proudly say he made it..."
Sift flour, sugar and salt directly in 9-10" pie plate. Combine oil and
milk in measuring cup and beat with fork till creamy. Pour all at once
over flour in pie plate; give your food processor a brief whirl or -in a
pie plate mix with a fork till flour is completely dampened. Push the
dough with your fingers to line bottom and sides of pan, then fill with
whatever filling you've chosen.
If you are making a baked pie shell to be filled later, prick the pastry
with a fork to keep it from bubbling. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes or until
golden. Fill If you're fussy, press it down with a pie plate. Flute the
edges.
Source: Edna Staebler's Schmecks cookbooks
NB: To extend a pie to serve more than 6 or 8, then pat the pastry into a
9" X 13" cake pan, spread the filling over it and when baked, cut into 12
squares.
posted by Anne MacLellan
