As long as the subject is pies, here is the best recipe I've ever found for pie crust. From the TV show "Milk Street".
If your crust is crumbly or tough, give this one a try. It's a little more work than the usual recipes, but worth it.
Milk Street Pie Crust (for one 9" crust)
3 Tbs. water
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 cup plus 2 Tbs. (165 g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
10 Tbs. (1 1/4 sticks or 150 g) cold salted butter, cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) pieces
2 Tbs. sour cream
In a cup or small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch. Microwave until set, 30 to 40 seconds, stirring once halfway through. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.
In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt, and process until combined, about 5 seconds. Add the chilled cornstarch mixture and pulse until the cornstarch mixture is evenly distributed, about 5 pulses. Add the butter and sour cream and process until the dough comes together and begins to collect around the blade, 20 to 30 seconds. Pat the dough into a 4 inch disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
Preheat oven to 375°. On a well-floured work surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle; transfer to a 9-inch pie dish. Gently ease the dough into the dish by lifting the edges while pressing down into the corners of dish. Trim the edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then tuck the overhang under itself so the dough is flush with the rim of the plate. Crimp the edge and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.
If the filling is to be baked, brush the bottom of the crust with beaten egg, to keep it from getting soggy; fill and bake according to your recipe. To blind bake, line the chilled crust with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until the edges are light golden brown, about 25 minutes, rotating the dish halfway through the cooking time. Remove the foil and weights and bake until the bottom of the crust just begins to color, another 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before filling. (Once baked and cooled, the crust can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for up to 2 days.) Makes one 9-inch pie crust.
