Barry Maidens Buttershortening Piecrust Food

PART-BUTTER/PART-SHORTENING EASY PIE DOUGH

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse together the flour, sugar, salt, butter and shortening until the mixture resembles cornmeal but there are still pea-sized chunks of fat.
• In a small bowl, stir together the ice water and lemon juice. Slowly add the liquid to the flour mixture, pulsing, until the dough just comes together. Squeeze a small piece of dough between your thumb and index finger to make sure it holds its shape.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in half. Gently turn over each piece of dough a few times so that any dry bits are incorporated. Form each piece into a loose disk, cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

AUNT MARIAN'S SUMMER SQUASH CUSTARD PIE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 9-inch pie pan with crust, then crimp the edges decoratively.
• To prepare the zucchini, trim the ends and cut each squash lengthwise into quarters, turning each squash into four long strips. Cut away the pointed edge of each strip, removing and discarding the seeds. Line up the strips and cut each one crosswise into 1/2-inch chunks. You should have about 6 cups of chopped zucchini.
• In a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, bring 3/4 cup water to a rolling boil. Add the chopped zucchini, cover, and cook until the zucchini is tender and bright green, softened, but still holding its shape without turning to mush, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain well.
• In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg, and salt. Stir with a fork to mix everything well. In a medium bowl, combine the cream, eggs, butter, vanilla, and vinegar. Using a whisk or a fork, stir to combine everything well. Add the sugar mixture and stir to dissolve the dry ingredients and mix everything together into a thick, smooth filling.
• Transfer the zucchini back to the empty saucepan and mash it to make it as soft and smooth as possible. Drain off any extra liquid that the zucchini releases. Measure it out, so that you have about 2 1/2 cups. Fold the mashed, drained zucchini into the filling and stir to mix everything together well.
• Pour the filling into the piecrust. Place the pie on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F, and bake until the filling is firm and nicely browned, and a knife inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Place the pie on a cooling rack or a folded kitchen towel and let cool to room temperature. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.