A flaky pie crust & Meg’s fancy super duper pie dough rolling out secret

Seventeen years ago when Will was just a little baby I was shooting Leaving Normal in a minuscule town in Alberta.  I don’t remember the name of the town.  I do remember the flat beautiful horizon that went on forever, broken up only by the relief of a tall grain silo.  Broad skies.  We were staying at a rather tired looking motel, with a small diner attached.  Yes, the motel wasn’t much to look at, the cast and crew complained.  Generally we stayed in more upscale places.  But me...I was in heaven!  That diner had the best pie I had ever tasted!  And every day when we finished shooting I would race to the diner to have another slice, warmed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  I could have staying in that dusty, windswept motel forever! 

On our final day of shooting there I worked up my courage and asked the woman behind the counter if she’d consider giving me her recipe for pie crust.  I was so nervous, because some people are very possessive about their recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation.  But she didn’t get mad.  She laughed. “It’s tenderflake,” she said. 
“Yes, it’s very flaky.  Flaky and tender.  I really like it.” I replied, wondering if that meant yes, she was going to give me the recipe or no, she wasn’t.  She started wiping down the counter.  Didn’t say anything else.  I was embarrassed.  “Don’t worry,” I said.  “I just figured it didn’t hurt to ask, but if it’s a family secret I totally understand.”
“No, that’s the recipe.  Tenderflake.”
“Tenderflake?”
“Yes, Tenderflake.  You know, the lard.  I use the recipe on the back of the box.”
I thought eew..lard?  But I didn’t say eew.  I thanked her profusely and left. 

Well I’ve been making Tenderflake pie crusts for 17 years now.  You can’t buy it in the stores in the States, and don’t try to substitute another lard because I tried that and it sucked.  So I’d always bring a couple boxes of Tenderflake lard to the States with me if I was going to have an extended stay there.  BUT the good news is, once I was in LA with no Tenderflake and a hankering for pie, so I phoned and ordered a bunch of it and made pie to my hearts content!  That’s the good thing about that stuff, it’s probably really unhealthy for you because it never goes bad.

So that’s my pie crust recipe.  Buy Tenderflake lard and make the recipe on the back.  (And no, I don’t know anyone who works at Tenderflake, nor do I own stock in the company.) However I don’t recommend their already rolled and frozen pie crusts.  I don’t know why but...not so tasty!

Now for the next part.  If the idea of lard grosses you out, or you are vegetarian, or you already have a crust recipe that you like but can’t get it into the pan, you are in luck because my super duper rolling technique will work for all pie dough recipes!

Meg’s super duper pie dough rolling secret!
-Make your pie dough.
-take a wet sponge and wipe counter.  Don’t wring that sponge out too much, you want the counter to be moist. 
-Lay out two strips of saran wrap onto the moist counter, overlapping by around one inch at the middle.
-sprinkle a handful of flour on the saran wrap.
-shape your pie dough into a sort of flattened out circle and then place in the middle of the floured saran wrap.
-sprinkle another small handful of flour on the top of the pie dough. (this is so the rolling pin won’t stick)
-smooth flour out evenly over dough and start to apply rolling pin.
-Always roll starting from the middle and working your way out.  Don’t roll the pin back and forth as it make the crust tough.
-when you think you’ve rolled it big enough, gently place the pie tin on top of the rolled out dough.  If there is around two inches or more of dough showing from under the pie plate you are good to go!  If not, roll it a little bit more.  Then,
-Gently lift the saran wrap with the pie crust and the pie tin and flip it over.  Now the pie crust is in the tin!
-Make sure the crust is tucked down and touching the bottom of the pan, then peel the saran wrap off.
-Cut the excess dough off making sure you are leaving enough (3/4 to 1/2 of an inch maybe) to tuck up onto the lip of the pan to make the edge of the pie. 
-If you are making a two crust pie (ie, apple pie, peach pie, etc.) Repeat the steps above.  If not, fill with your favorite filling (pumpkin, pecan, lemon etc) pop in the oven at the appropriate temperature and then...ta da!  Enjoy!

I personally don’t wait until after dinner.  When I make hot apple pie, I want it right away!  Sometimes I love eating dessert first.  That way I’m sure I’ll have room for it.

Posted by Meg Tilly on Friday, October 05, 2007 in Recipes

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