Foolproof Pie Dough

By Hklbrries

“You’ll never guess what’s in this” is not exactly the most inviting thing your dinner guests could hear as they belly up to a feast at your home. It’s part challenge, part dare, with just a little bit of “Fear Factor” thrown in.

But, as long as you’re not spiking your lasagna with live grubs, there is a certain wow factor to whipping up a tasty dish with an unusual, unexpected ingredient.

In fact, Christopher Kimball, founder and editor of Cook’s Illustrated magazine, says one such recipe with a you’ll-never-guess-it-in-a- million-years ingredient is his favorite ever created by the magazine’s test kitchen in its nearly 15-year history.

“I’m just mad I didn’t come up with it,” Kimball says.

The creation is simple enough: Pie dough.

But the addition of the secret ingredient – a quarter cup of ice-cold vodka – makes it ultra light and flakey, arguably the perfect pie crust.

“I’m a big pie maker,” Kimball says. “It’s the hardest thing to do well in the kitchen.”

Plus, it’s just kind of fun to let your guests guess how you made such a wonderful pie crust.

There are many World War II-era recipes that call for unusual ingredients to get around rationing and shortages. (Ever tried mayonnaise cake?)

And there are other recipes that came en vogue not long after, as an increasing number of convenience products came on the market.

“Back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, a lot of food editors were hired as consultants of big food companies,” Kimball says.

Nancy Patrykus, a Spokane resident who moved here from Chicago following her retirement a couple of years ago, considers herself a recipe collector.

“I’ve got a roomful of recipes,” Patrykus says. “I always saved all my old cookbooks … I could sit and read recipes.”

But she has a particular affinity for the unusual recipes gathered from old relatives and church cookbooks.

She’s not sure how she came across the instructions for Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake, but she knows it tastes great.

“Don’t tell people,” she says. “They’ll think it’s coconut.”

Sometimes the key to recipe success is thinking outside the box. And that often means using ingredients in unexpected ways.

Marcie Jabbora of Spokane likes to spike her pumpkin pie with Chinese Five Spice Powder, instead of the routine spice combination.

(She also tells a story about accidentally spilling parakeet food into her pumpkin pie batter nearly 20 years ago. Her son still asks if she’ll be making “bird seed pumpkin pie.”)

Bird seed not included, the cooks in Kimball’s test kitchen have become masters at finding new ways to use old ingredients.

Here are some recipes that include unexpected ingredients. Test them out on your guests and see if they can figure out your secret."

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening cut into 4 pieces
• 1/4 cup cold vodka
• 1/4 cup cold water

Preparation

Step 1

Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup of flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

Nutrition Information:
Per serving (crust only, based on 10 servings)
348 calories
24 grams fat (11 grams saturated, 62 percent fat calories)
3 grams protein
26 grams carbohydrates
37 milligrams cholesterol
Less than 1 gram dietary fiber
235 milligrams sodium