Never-Fail Pie Crust

Directions

1. In a small bowl or glass, put a few ice cubes. Fill with water and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, put in flour, then salt and stir around a bit..
3. Add shortening and use pastry cutter to incorporate the shortening with the flour and salt. Continue to "cut" until you have really small, almost uniform in size, little clumps.
4. Using a measuring spoon, measure 5 tablespoons of ice water into the flour mixture. You can use a spatula to incorporate the water and flour, but at some point you are going to have to use your hands.
5. Now, do NOT over work the dough or it will be tough instead of tender and flaky. Get it to where it is just holding itself together.
6. The dough should be just a teeny, tiny bit tacky. So, get out some of your flour and sprinkle generously on a work surface. Pinch the dough in half, because this recipe makes a double crust. Even if you only need one, go ahead and roll both out. You can sprinkle the other one with cinnamon and sugar, cook at 400 degrees until just brown and then use on top of a bowl of fruit or just have for a little snack with a cold glass of milk.
7. OK, so now you have floured your work surface, make the dough into a thick small circle with your hands and place in the middle of the work surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with more flour. Now, roll into a 1/8" think circle with your rolling pin.
8. Fold the dough after rolling it out into half and the half again. Place the "tip" of the quarter in the middle of your pie pan and gently unfold.
9. Add your filling.
10. Trim the crusts to the edge of the pie pan. Then pinch or roll the two crusts together, leaving a decorative or plain edge. Your choice. Slice 5 or 6 vents in the top of the pie and sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar over the top of the crust.
11. Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. If the crust starts getting too brown, cover the outside edge with some aluminum foil. I was having to use our toaster oven, so the cooking element was a little close to the edge of the pie.
12. When the pie is done, take it out of the oven and let it cool so that the filling sets up a bit.
13. Serve ala mode, or with some whipped cream, or just as it is. Enjoy!