It's all in the crust

I have come to believe that any good home cook should know how to make a pie crust. I am a fool for anything wrapped in pie crust and view it as the little black dress of the culinary world: It serves well at breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack-time, and all manner of special occasions dishes. You can fill it with silky custard or savory quiche, pile it high with summer fruit, cut and press it into tiny appetizer tart molds, or fold it over and pinch it closed around spicy meat fillings. Once mastered, there is nothing in this world as useful or satisfying.\nOf course you can always buy a frozen or refrigerated pie crust, or add water to a mix to cut corners. All are fine in a pinch, but none can compare to the real thing. Homemade pie crust is worth the effort. Best of all, its flaky, delicate, melt-in-your-mouth goodness is composed of almost nothing at all. Everything it is made of is commonly found around the kitchen.\nAlmost any standard cookbook has at least one recipe for pie crust; perfect technique is the rarity. I consider it more of a lost science than a lost art. Pie crust dough is like chemistry, relying on perfectly coordinated proportions of flour and shortening to make a crust that is flaky and resilient. Even if you loathed high school chemistry, however, this is no cause for alarm -- mastery can be achieved with careful and accurate measurement.\nMeasure the shortening and place it in the refrigerator to chill before use. Once chilled, you can use a pastry blender to work the shortening into the flour, but I feel that two hands do the best job. The idea is to rub the shortening into small bits that become coated with flour, not to cream the two together. You have blended sufficiently when the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. \nUse icy cold water, not tap water. Add the water one tablespoon at a time, then mix it into the flour mixture with a fork. You have added enough when the dough sticks together in a ball. Too much water will make a sticky crust that is difficult to roll. Too little, and the crust will remain crumbly and hard to handle.\nWhen the dough is completely mixed, roll it into a ball with your hands. If making a two-crust pie, cut the ball in half. To begin rolling, flour the surface you will be working on. If your kitchen is tiny, clear off your largest flat surface (think dresser or desk) and worry about the clean-up later. Sprinkle the rolling pin with flour, place the dough ball on the surface and flatten it with the heel of your hand. Then begin working with the rolling pin. Always roll from the center outward, avoiding rolling over the piecrust's edge until the very end (continuously rolling the edge will make it thin and difficult to lift up). \nWhile the crust is still thick and easy to handle, occasionally lift it to make sure it is not sticking to the work surface. Sprinkle more flour underneath, if necessary. Hold an inverted pie dish over the crust to see when it has been rolled large enough. With a sharp knife, trim off the rough, cracked edge of the piecrust. A smooth, rounded edge will make the crust easier to lift. \nLift one edge of the crust over the other, lightly folding it in half or quarters. Then lift the folded crust and place it in the pie plate, unfolding it to cover the entire plate. Pat the crust gently over the\nsides of the plate and trim off the excess crust with a knife or kitchen scissors, making it even with the plate\'s edge. \nThis blueberry pie recipe is an excellent choice for celebrating the making of your pie crust. Make it now, while the blueberries are at their peak and the prices are extra low. It is the kind of fruit pie I love best: uncomplicated, beautiful to look at, and unquestionably delicious. Your friends will think you are a genius if you make it for them. If they are very close friends, you might consider giving them second helpings. In either case, be sure to squirrel away a second piece, disguised in crumpled aluminum foil, in the far recesses of the refrigerator before the whole pie vanishes.\nSUMMER BLUEBERRY PIE with LEMON POPPYSEED CRUST\nRegular or Lemon-Poppyseed pastry for 9-inch Two-Crust Pie (see recipe below) \n2/3 cup sugar \n1/3 cup all-purpose flour \n1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon \n6 cups fresh blueberries \n1 tablespoon lemon juice \n1 tablespoon butter \nPreheat oven to 425°. Prepare pastry as directed below. In a large bowl, mix sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Stir in blueberries and toss to combine. Place blueberry mixture into pastry-lined pie plate. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust; press edges together to seal and (optional) flute the edges. Cut 2-3 small slits in top crust for steam to escape. Cover the crust edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Makes 8 servings.\nFLAKY PIE CRUST\n(For a Two-Crust 9-inch Pie)\n2 cups all-purpose flour \n1 teaspoon salt \n2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons \nshortening, chilled\n4 to 5 tablespoons ice water \nCombine the flour and salt in a large bowl; cut shortening into flour mixture until particles resemble fresh bread crumbs. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened. Gather pastry together and cut in half; shape halves into balls. Shape each ball into a flattened round on lightly floured board. Roll pastry 2 inches larger than inverted pie plate with floured rolling pin. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.\nFOR TWO-CRUST PIE: Turn desired filling into pastry-lined pie plate. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1/2 inch from rim of plate. Roll other round of pastry. Fold into fourths and cut slits so steam can escape.\nFOR ONE-CRUST PIE: Cut ingredients for 2-crust pie in half and proceed as directed. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute. Fill and bake as directed in recipe. \nFOR BAKED PIE SHELL: Preheat oven to 475°. Prick bottom and side thoroughly with fork. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown; cool.\nLEMON-POPPYSEED VARIATION: For 2-crust recipe, add 1 and 1/2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons poppyseeds, and 1 tablespoon chopped lemon zest to flour mixture. Add shortening and water as directed.