Pie Crust

• This recipe makes enough for the top and bottom crust of a 9" pie plate. If you want only the bottom crust for a meringue or cream pie, cut the recipe in half.
• Sift two cups flour and 1/4 tsp. salt. Remove 1/3 cup of this mixture to a small bowl and add 1/4 cup cold water (with perhaps 1 or 2 more TBLs of water, if needed). Stir well, making a smooth paste and set aside.
• Into remaining flour mixture, cut in 6 TBLs Crisco and 6 TBLs softened butter. Work into the flour with a pastry cutter or fingers (which I use). The mixture will form small balls of shortened flour. Add the paste to this mixture until mixed into a ball of pastry. Separate into 2 equal amounts of dough, one for the lower crust and one for the upper crust. Roll out on floured wax paper, pastry cloth, or marble rolling surface. (Note: Wet counter with a little water under the waxed paper.)
• If making a cream or meringue pie that requires a precooked crust, use fork tines to make small escape holes in the bottom and on the sides of the crust. Cook in a preheated 475º oven for 10-12 minutes, until golden.
• If making a double crust pie, start the pie @475º for 10-12 minutes, until beginning to brown. Then reduce heat to whatever temperature your recipe calls for and cook at that temperature for the remaining time your recipe calls for, ie: if recipe calls for one hour only cook for 48-50 more minutes, depending on how long you leave it at 475º.
• My mother used to pat milk on the top of her double crust pies to insure that they brown. I don't find this necessary.
• When you have rolled out the crust, place your pie plate just above it and judge whether or not you think the crust is rolled out enough to fill the pie plate from the bottom to the top of the plate's sides. Then, position your arm and had over the center of the pie crust and, with your other hand, lift one side of the wax paper and sort of fold the pie crust over your arm, slide the pie plate under the center of the crust, and then use both your hands to position the crust into the pie plate. Once it's in, you can move it around a bit by pressing your hands flat on the crust and sliding it around a little bit. If the crust tears, just press it back together or patch it with a piece of excess crust from another location. Hope this makes sense.