Pie Crust.

My grandmother made excellent pies. Of course, the secret ingredient was lard (much to the continual dismay of my great-auntie Maxine... "You make your pies with lard?!?!" I say "continual" because she had dementia, and this conversation happened on a fairly regular basis.)

I was probably about 8 the first time I made pies with my grandmother, and I still use the same recipe she did. It's pretty fool proof, and works for all your short-crust pastry needs. The best thing about it is it makes enough for about 3 large pies (or 4 smaller ones, depending on the size of your pie plates) and freezes very well, so you can make crust and pies on different days. The original recipe called for 5 cups of flour, but I always found there was not enough egg-water mixture to go around.

4 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 lb lard
1 egg
1 Tbsp vinegar
3/4 C cold water (mixed in with egg and vinegar)

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in slices of lard. Using a knife (or pastry cutter) cut into small chunks, then use your hands to work until it's crumbly (Remove jewellery!)

Beat egg, and combine with water and vinegar. Pour small amounts over flour mixture, incorporating with a fork. Don't overmix! This will make the crust tough. (As discussed here...)

Gather dough into bottom of the bowl, and divide into three parts. Roll and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until needed or store in an airtight container in the freezer.

Saskatoon Pie