PASTRIES & VARIATIONS: Short crust pastry is basically a pastry that contains no sugar. It is used to make a varities of pies that we are familiar with. This is a version that features a lattice topping.

APPLE AND CRANBERRY LATTICE PIE:

 

 

 

 

¾ quantity of prepared short crust pastry, see basic recipe, for double-crusted pie

filling:

    grated rind of 1 orange + 3 tbsp. orange juice

    2 large cooking apple                                              

    1 1/3 cup cranberries

    ½ cup raisins                                                           

    ¼ cup chopped walnuts

    ½ cup each granulated sugar & dark brown sugar

    2 tbsp. all purpose flour

 

 

 

Roll out the dough to between roughly ¼-inch thickness. Reserve a portion and use the rest to line a 9-inch pie plate. Roll out remaining dough to a circle about 11-inch diameter. With a serrated pastry wheel, cut dough into10 strips. Transfer strips to a wax-paper-lined plate or cookie sheet. Refrigerate both for 30 minutes.

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

 

Peel and core apples and grate them into a bowl. Add orange rind and juice. Stir in cranberries, raisins, walnuts, brown sugar and flour and all but 1 tbsp. of granulated sugar. Toss well together and spoon into the empty pie crust. Moisten edges of pie with water. Place 5 strips of pastry horizontally across the top of the tart at 1-inch intervals. Weave in 5 vertical strips decoratively and trim edges. Brush with egg-wash and dust with remaining tablespoon of sugar. 

 

Bake 20 minutes; then reduce heat to 350 degrees F. and bake 20 minutes more, until the crust is golden and filling is bubbling. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BASIC SHORT CRUST PASTRY:

 

 

 

 

1 lb cold lard cut into cubes                                        

5-5 ½ cups all purpose flour

3 tsp. salt                                                                    

1 egg

1 tbsp. vinegar                                                            

¾+ cup ice water

 

 

 

Beat egg and vinegar into ice water to make up 1 cup liquid. Refrigerate until use.

 

Place flour and salt in work-bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Process on/off to mix.  Add lard into work bowl and process a few seconds until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.  With machine running, add ice water mixture in a steady stream through the feed-tube. Process with on/off pulses a few times, until mixture is just coming together into a ball. Do not over process.

 

Turn dough out onto a large piece of waxed paper. Bring the edges of paper together and pressing through the paper to make dough into a ball.  Knead gently once or twice to distribute the fat evenly. Flatten the ball out to a large flat round. Wrap well and refrigerate 10 minutes before using.

 

Dough may be frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost in fridge before using.

 

This recipe is sufficient for a double-crusted