Classic Pie Crust

Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor; pulse briefly to combine. Add the butter and shortening; pulse just until coarse crumbs form, about 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice and water. Pulse just until moist crumbs form. Turn the dough onto a work surface and gently shape it into two equal disks about 4 or 5 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

FOR THE ONE-CRUST PIE: Roll one disk of dough between two large pieces of lightly floured parchment. Roll into a 14-inch-diameter round that's 1/8 inch thick. Remove the top sheet of parchment. Gently roll the dough around the pin and position the pin over the pie pan. Unroll, gently easing the dough into the pan, gently but firmly pressing the dough against the sides and bottom, taking care not to pull or stretch. With scissors, trim the edge of the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch margin from the outer edge of the pan. Tuck this dough under to shape a high edge crust that rests on top of the rim. Pinch-crimp as in the photo.

FOR BLIND BAKING: Follow the steps for a one-crust pie. Freeze the crust for at least 30 min. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line the frozen crust with a large piece of foil, fill with pie weights (or dried beans or rice), and bake 12 min. Remove the foil and weights and continue baking the shell until golden, about 8 min. longer, checking for bubbles (push them down gently with the back of a spoon).

FOR THE DOUBLE CRUST: Roll out one disk of dough as for a one-crust pie and line a 9-inch pie pan, leaving the excess hanging over the side. Cover loosely with plastic while you roll out the other disk between parchment. Load the filling into the shell. Brush the edge of the bottom crust with water. Roll the top crust around the pin and position it over the pie. Gently unroll, centering the dough over the filling. Press the edges together and, with scissors, trim both crusts so they're 1/2 inch larger than the outer edge of the pie pan. Tuck this dough under to shape a high edge crust that rests on top of the rim. Pinch-crimp as in the photo at right. With a paring knife, slash two or three vent holes in the top crust and bake following the recipe directions.

FOR THE LATTICE CRUST: Roll out one disk of dough as for a one-crust pie and line a 9-inch pie pan, leaving the excess hanging over the sides. Cover loosely with plastic while you roll out the other disk between parchment into a rectangle that's slightly larger than 14x9 inches. Remove the top sheet of parchment. Trim the dough to an exact 14x9-inch rectangle. Cut 12 strips that are 14 inches long and 3/4 inch wide. If the dough gets soft, slide the parchment and dough onto a baking sheet and chill briefly before continuing. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, arrange 6 strips horizontally, setting them 3/4 inch apart; these will be the "bottom" strips. Set the rest aside on a separate piece of parchment; these will be the "top" strips. Make the lattice following the technique for Assemble a Prefab Lattice Crust. If the dough warms up as you work, chill it briefly in the refrigerator.