Sweet Short-Crust Pastry
6 T unsalted butter, chilled and 1½ c unsifted flour
cut into ¼-inch bits ¼ tsp salt
2 T lard, chilled and cut into 1 T sugar
¼-inch bits 3 to 4 T ice water
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TO PREPARE THE PASTRY DOUGH: In a large chilled bowl, combine the
butter and lard bits, the flour, salt and sugar. With your fingertips, rub
the flour and fat together until the mixture looks like flakes of coarse
meal.Pour 3 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture all at once, toss together lightly and gather the dough into a ball. If the dough crumbles, add up to 1 tablespoon more ice water by drops until the particles adhere. Dust the pastry dough with a little flour and wrap it in wax paper. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using.
Spread 1 tablespoon of softened butter over the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan with a pastry brush.
On a lightly floured surface, pat the chilled short-crust pastry dough into a rough circle about 1 inch thick. Dust a little flour over and under it, and roll it out from the center to within an inch of the far edge of the circle. Lift the dough and turn it clockwise about 2 inches; roll again from the center to within an inch or so of the far edge. Repeat--lifting, turning, rolling--until the circle is about 1/8 inch thick and 13 to 14 inches in diameter. If the dough sticks to the board or table, lift it gently with a metal spatula and sprinkle a little flour under it. Drape the dough over the rolling pin, lift it up, and unroll it slackly over the buttered pie pan. Gently press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan, taking care not to stretch it. With a pair of scissors, cut off the excess dough from the edges, leaving a 1-inch overhang all around the outside rim. Tuck the overhang under the edge all around and crimp it with your fingers or the tines of a fork.
Preheat the oven to 400°. To prevent the pie shell from buckling as it bakes, spread a piece of buttered aluminum foil across the pan and press it gently into the bottom and sides of the pie shell. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes, then remove the foil. Bake for another 2 or 3 minutes, or until the pastry is a very delicate golden color. Remove the pie shell from the oven and cool to room temperature before filling.
PIE FILLING
1½ c apple cider 3 egg yolks
1 c dark brown sugar 2 egg whites
2 T butter, cut into ¼-inch bits 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg, preferably
¼ tsp salt freshly grated
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In a heavy 2- to 3-quart enameled saucepan, boil the cider uncovered over
high heat until it is reduced by half (to ¾ cup). Add the brown sugar, butter
bits and salt, and stir until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts.
Remove the saucepan from the heat.Ladle about 2 tablespoons of the hot cider mixture into the egg yolks, mix well with a wire whisk, and then gradually pour the yolks into the cider, whisking all the while.
With a wire whisk or a rotary or electric beater, beat the egg whites until they are stiff enough to stand in unwavering peaks on the beater when it is lifted from the bowl. Scoop the egg whites over the cider mixture and beat them together gently but thoroughly with a wire whisk.
Pour the mixture into the cooled partially baked pie shell and sprinkle the top with the nutmeg. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean. Cool the cider pie to room temperature before serving. Makes one 9-inch pie.
