Pastry Dough

Name: Pastry Dough
Yield: Makes enough dough for a single-crust 9-inch pie or an 11-inch tart
Ingredients: 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter; 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

August 20, 2004

This recipe was created to prepare Quebec Maple Sugar Pie and Spiced Pecan Pie.

The amount of water necessary to make pastry dough is likely to change slightly from time to time, depending on variables such as humidity and the moisture content of butter and even, believe it or not, flour.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

Recipe notes

Grape Dumplings

Native American people made these with cornmeal dumplings, simmering them with wild grapes, which were harvested at their peak sweetness.

Palets Bretons

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Homemade Whipped Cream

Fluffier, fresher, and fancier than anything from a tub or can.

Île Flottante

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Not-So-Secret Burger Sauce

Every sauce needs a few secrets. Ours is smoky, sweet, and savory—use it for burgers, fries, tenders, and more.

Jammy Grape Galette

We don’t bake with grapes as often as we should. But even the most average supermarket varieties come alive when roasted with a bit of sugar and seasoning.

Wampanoaug Clam Fritters

The clams’ natural briny sweetness serves as a surprising foil for the tender fritter batter—just be sure to pull off the tough outer coating of the siphon.

Fufu

Fufu is a dish that has been passed down through many generations and is seen as a symbol of Ghanaian identity and heritage. Making fufu traditionally is a very laborious task; this recipe mimics some of that hard work but with a few home-cook hacks that make for a far easier time.