Helen’s Pastry
(Helen) Let’s talk about pastry! From my experience with my three daughters and the women who have worked with me at the lodges, pastry is one of the most intimidating challenges they face.
Marie and I don’t use the same recipes for our pastry. Hers is slightly saltier and mine is slightly sweeter. They are both non-fail and they bring rave reviews whether we use them for our main course pies or desserts. We have shared these recipes with sisters, children and friends and they all have moved from the “I can’t make pastry” class to “Hey, this is easy!”
These make enough for three, 2-crust pies. If you don’t need it all, just roll the dough into 1-crust-sized balls, store them in a freezer bag and either refrigerate or freeze. Bring the dough to room temperature before rolling out.
Ingredients:
- 5 cups Flour 1.25 L
- 1 tsp. Baking powder 5ml
- 1 tsp. Salt 5ml
- 1 lbs. Lard 500g
- 1 Egg
- 1 tbsp. Vinegar 15ml
- 1 tsp. Brown Sugar 5ml
- Cold water
Directions
- Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Cut in the lard with a pastry blender until the moisture is crumbly and the lard is distributed like little peas throughout the flour.
- Break the egg into a measuring cup; beat with a fork and add the vinegar and brown sugar. Beat again and add water to the 1-cup (250ml) mark. Pour the water mixture around the edge of the flour mixture while stirring with a fork. Be sure to moisten all the flour but do not over mix. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. (1 ball equals 1 pie crust)
- Sprinkle a board of counter top liberally with flour and roll out dough with a floured rolling pin, adding more flour if necessary. Place the dough in a pie plate, add filling and cover with the top crust. Cut vents to allow the steam to escape.
NOTE: Never throw away leftover pastry! Make Cinnamon Pastry Rolls. Roll out any amount of pastry in a rectangular shape. Spread with butter, sprinkle liberally with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up, starting from a long side. Cut into 1” (2-3cm) slides and put on an ungreased baking pan. Bake at 450*F (230*C) for 10 minutes, or until slightly browned.
From Blueberries & Polar Bears, Page 184, Desserts
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