On Tue 01 Nov 2005 01:03:49p, Karen wrote in rec.food.cooking:

>
> "Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Okay folks,
>>
>> I grew up making the old Crisco pie pastry recipe. My mother taught
>> me. It used to be on the cans of Crisco.... It was the most
>> wonderful flaky pie crust.
>>
>> I had this recipe in my files on my computer, and I lost it earlier
>> this year when things crashed.
>>
>> It isn't the current recipe that Crisco publishes. It might be
>> similar, but the old recipe had one mix water with part of the flour
>> mixture to form a slurry and add it to the flour/Crisco mixture.
>>
>> I want that recipe, with the slurry method. Now I use half and half
>> Crisco and butter, but I really like the slurry method that was used.
>> I know the basic method, I just need the amounts of the ingredients
>> and the basic proportions.
>>
>> Anyone got it this in their files?
>>
>> Christine
>
> I emailed this recipe to Christine, and it's the one she's looking for.
> I'm so glad I was able to help you out, Christine! She asked me to post
> it on rfc so that everyone could see what she was talking about, so here
> it is:
>
> Pastry Made with Hydrogenated Shortening - Two-Crust Pie
>
> Pastry made be made with shortening of this kind in exactly the same way
> as when using lard. However, the following recipe is almost foolproof,
> and the pastry is flaky and tender:
>
> 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted before measuring
> 1 teaspoon salt
> 1/4 cup water
> 3/4 cup shortening
>
> Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Take out 1/3 cup of this flour and mix
> with the 1/4 cup water to form a paste. Cut shortening into remaining
> flour until the pieces are the size of small peas. Add flour paste to
> blended shortening and flour mixture. Mix with a fork until the dough
> comes together and can be shaped into a ball. Divide in half, roll out
> both crusts about 1/8 inch thick.
> > all-purpose flour, sifted before measuring, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup
> shortening. Take out 1/4 cup flour and blend with 3 tablespoons water.
> Proceed as above.
>
> Source: "The Betty Furness Westinghouse Cook Book", 1954
>
> I collect old cookbooks, and this one is the most recent addition to my
> collection. I was about to look through all my old cookbooks for this
> recipe, and this book happened to be the first one I grabbed. <insert
> Twilight Zone music here> :-)
>
> Karen

That's super that you've found it, Karen. But now I have to ask, what is
the advantage to this technique? The ingredient list and proportions are
very close to what I use making it the traditional way.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974