Sunday, July 01, 2007

Pastry

My sister-in-law Michelle recently moved to Australia and was lamenting the loss of Crisco, among other things. Seems the Aussies only bake with butter. While nothing can quite replace Crisco in creating a light, flaky crust in pies, or lard making some unbelievable tortillas, butter can lead to some amazing desserts.

This recipe hails from an old family recipe - at least I think it does. This can be used for just about any pastry recipe, but is particularly good for pies and quiches - and as an added bonus, calls for butter instead of Crisco.

3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 t. salt
1 cup butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup cold water

In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles oatmeal. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, oil and water. Stir liquids into the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Divide the dough into two balls. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 mins. Roll out the pastry into the desired shells. Bake at 425 for 30-35 mins.

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