NANCY SILVERTON'S SWEET PIE PASTRY SHELL

NANCY SILVERTON'S SWEET PIE PASTRY SHELL image

Yield 2 shells

Number Of Ingredients 5

Steps:

Place flour and sugar in a food processor bowl; pulse to blend. Cut chilled butter into 1/2" cubes, add to bowl and pulse just until it looks like cornmeal. Blend yolks and cream and add to bowl; pulse just until it comes together a bit. Dump onto a lightly floured cool surface and gather into a ball, adding more cream if necessary. Using fraisage method, smear handfuls of dough across board with the heel of your hand to make thin leaves of butter throughout the dough. Don't overdo it; the dough must never really warm up or get too uniform. Gather into a ball and wrap with plastic; chill in refrigerator for at least two hours. Place on board and let warm enough to handle. Roll out in short strokes from center to fill your pie plate. Chill dough in plate for another hour. Preheat oven to 350. Line shell with parchment, big round coffee filters or foil and fill with weights or beans, pressing carefully to fill entire bottom of shell. Bake for 25 minutes, until crust is golden. Remove from oven and cool completely. Remove weights and lining. If it is still damp on the bottom, return to oven for a few minutes to crispen. Note: you can parbake shell for only 15 minutes, remove from oven, remove lining and weights and return to oven for 10 more minutes. Then cool at least 15 minutes before adding filling. Bake for length needed for filling, taking care to cover crimped rim with foil or a pie guard to protect edges from becoming cinders.