Penelope's Recipe Box

Who among pie lovers is not on an eternal quest for the perfect pie crust? Penelope, too. Not that Penelope’s Classic pie crust isn’t wonderful, it is, but this one is more rich because it’s made with milk and an egg instead of water. It’s really good with fruit and berry pies. If you end up with extra dough, roll it out, cut it with a lattice wheel, brush with butter, sugar and cinnamon, and bake up some amazingly fragrant, kitchen and heart warming lattice sticks.

1. 3 cups sifted flour
2. ¼ tsp salt
3. 8 oz butter (2 sticks) really cold and cut into bits
4. 1 egg
5. 1/3 cup milk

Sift the flour into the bowl of an electric mixer. Most pie crust recipes don’t require sifting but flour actually likes the attention. Besides, it’s like watching snow falling on Cedar Rapids — quiet yet merry.

Add in the salt and blend, then the butter.

Using the paddle attachment on an electric mixer, set it on low, not any higher than number 2.

Mix until the dough becomes the texture of fine cornmeal, 30 or 40 seconds.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and the milk. Stream it into the flour mixture, increasing the speed until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and forms a ball.

That’s it. Don’t overwork the dough, it still has to be rolled out.

Divide the dough into two balls and put them into the fridge for at least 20 minutes. When the dough is sufficiently chilled, lightly flour a board and roll out the dough.

Adapted from “Apples, A Country Garden Cookbook” by Christopher Idone, Collins Publishers, San Francisco, 1993