Part of learning how to cook and getting consistent results is finding recipes that work. Once I got a good arsenal of reliable basics, I felt more confident trying new ones and developing my own.

The first time I made a whole meal for my family, by myself, I was 11 years old. I had gotten a cook book for young cooks that walked through a menu from planning to serving. I made pork chops, green beans in a vinaigrette, and an easy apple pie. I felt so grown up and so chef-like. I proudly served the meal to my parents, basked in the glow of their praise, and I thought I was well on my way to becoming a chef.

Obviously, my world-class chef status didn’t begin with that meal, but it did make me feel like I could make just about anything. That’s something I aim to do with this blog; make food, cooking, and DIYs accessible and give everyone the confidence to try them all. I’m going to start posting those basic building block recipes; recipes that offer a good foundation for delicious and reliable results. I’m  starting with this pie crust, an homage to my first successful pie attempt. My hope is that you’ll put this one in your files and when you make it, you’ll feel ready for your world-class chef status.

Pie Crust

1 1/4 cups Flour

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Salt

6 Tablespoons unsalted Butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes and chilled

4 Tablespoons Shortening, cut into 1/4 inch cubes and chilled

2 Tablespoons Vodka or Rum

2 Tablespoons Ice Water

Place 3/4 cup flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Sprinkle butter and shortening over the top and pulse until mixture forms clumps and no flour remains.

Scrape sides of the food processor bowl and sprinkle over remaining flour. Pulse until the mixture is evenly distributed around the bowl, about 4-6 pulses.

Place mixture in bowl and sprinkle vodka or rum and water over it. Using a rubber spatula, stir just until mixture sticks together.

Shape dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days. Let soften on the counter for about 10 minutes before rolling out.
*Original recipe from America’s Test Kitchen