Madeline's Pie Crust
/From the kitchen of Danielle Betts (haha Madeline)
I first had this pie crust when I was 19 and visited Brad at his grandpa’s house in Jonesport. It was grandpa’s cook, Madeline, who made the pie crust. She didn’t like me and when she served my pie, it was the only one at the table crushed by a big thumbprint in the middle!
Ingredients:
3 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 c. + 2 T. Crisco (originally I made it with Crisco as well, but have since substituted with real butter, salted)
1/2 c. cold water, chilled with ice (may need 2 T. more)
Directions:
Measure flour gently into cup with a spoon.
Place in large bowl with salt and mix well.
Add butter in small slices.
You can do this next step with two knives, slicing back and forth through the flour and butter, but I do it with my hands instead, rubbing the pieces of butter in the flour between my fingers until the entire bowl is the same granulated consistency with no remaining chunks of butter.
Add the cold water and mix well with spoon and then with your hands to create a doughball.
Cut in half to make a two-crust pie.
Notes from the chef:
I use Marjorie Standish’s “Cooking Down East” to make both apple and blueberry pies, cutting the sugar in both recipes in half. Let me know if you need the recipes!