I love that trick!

2.5 cups AP flour
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (it has to be real butter!) Cut into 1/2 inch cubes and refrigerated for a bit before using.
1 teaspoon salt (omit if you are using salted butter)
1 teaspoon sugar

Pinch the dry ingredients and butter together. Once you have a bowl of flaky looking stuff, add:

2-5 tablespoons ice cold water

and the secret ingredient:

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Use a pastry cutter to cut together the dough. Add the water 1 tbsp at a time so that you don’t end up with dough that is too sticky.

Form the dough into a ball as soon as it starts to stick together. Do NOT over work the dough. This makes it tough. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap or drop it in a ziploc and refrigerate for 1 hour to a couple of days.

When you’re ready to roll the dough, make sure you flour your surface and rolling pin. Take half the dough and roll out. Do not worry that it looks more like Africa than a circle. You will never get a good circle. You will see the lumps of butter in the dough. This is a good thing, this is what makes it flaky. Roll it out as thin as you like (I roll mine very thin). Fold the dough in half and lift onto your pie plate. Make sure to rotate and flip the dough often so that it does not stick to the rolling surface.

Now, you may have some weird gaps or whatever because the dough does not roll out in a circle. If this is the case, REPAIR DO NOT RE-ROLL!!! Cut around the pie plate (I usually cut on the counter so that I have about an inch and a half overhang). Use the scraps from the edges to make any repairs. Tuck your edges and flute, or whatever decorative edge you may do. However, do not just cut it around the pie plate. The decorative edge serves a purpose. It anchors the dough to the pie plate so that it does not shrink too much.

Put pie plate into freezer. I usually freeze it about 15 minutes while I make the filling.

This recipe makes 2 9-10′ pie crusts. If you’re making a double crust pie, make sure to glaze with an egg wash.

Cranberry Sauce with Currants and Champagne:

Pur 3/4 c. Champagne into a medium pot and add 1 c. sugar and 1/4 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Dump in 12 oz. fresh cranberries and 3 T. currants. Bring back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let come to room temperature.

im not a fan of cranberries myself, unless they are in juice form mixed with vodka…

Thanks for reminding me about the cranberries!! I don’t eat it and tend to forget. However, the cranberry jelly in the can just freaks me out. I think I might actually like fresh cranberry sauce. I just can’t get past the canned stuff, which is all we’ve ever had. Gotta love that gelatinous lump with the can imprints still on it. Oh – and that sound it makes when it comes out of the can. How disgusting is that? Anyway, anyone have good recipes for a cranberry sauce made from fresh cranberries? I might be able to deal with that a little better…