Recipe 1:

Ingredients:

� 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
� 1/4 teaspoon salt
� 1/2 cup shortening, chilled
� 3 tablespoons ice water

Preparation:

Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium size bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the cold shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water over flour. Toss mixture with a fork to moisten, adding more water a few drops at a time until the dough comes together.

Gently gather dough particles together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

Roll out dough, and put in a pie plate. Fill with desired filling and bake.

Recipe 2:

Ingredients:

� 2 cups all-purpose flour
� 1 teaspoon salt � 1 cup shortening
� 1/2 cup water

Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough in half, and shape into balls. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Roll out dough on a floured counter. Don't over work it. Use as directed in pie recipe.

Pie Crust Tips from Diana Rattray:

� For best results, refrigerate all ingredients prior to making the dough - even the flour.

� Use pastry flour or all-purpose. Bread flour has too much gluten to make a tender crust, and cake flour is too soft to give the proper body.

� Lard and shortening produce the most tender crusts. You may use half lard or shortening and half butter if you want the buttery flavor.

� The pockets of fat make the flakiness in the crust. Use a pastry blender or 2 knives to cut in fat. Dough should still have some pea-size pieces. Handle as little as possible with your hands.

� All liquids should be ice-cold.

� For a flakier crust, substitute ice cold sour cream or heavy cream for the water.

� Sugar in a pastry dough sweetens and tenderizes.

� Blend liquid in just until the dough begins to hold together. Overworking toughens the dough.

� Chill the dough for 30 minutes for easier rolling.

� To prevent a soggy crust, refrigerate for 15 minutes before filling or seal by brushing with slightly beaten egg white, then refrigerate for 15 minutes.

� Setting the pie pan on a metal baking sheet during baking also helps prevent soggy crusts.

� Enhance the flavor of your dough by adding spices such as nutmeg, ginger, or cinnamon.

� Meringue won't "weep" if you blend a teaspoon of cornstarch into the sugar before beating it into the egg whites.

� Sprinkle toasted ground nuts or fine cookie crumbs over the dough and gently press them in before filling or baking.