The Weekend Cook ~ Pastry Crust

My Mom, "Lena T. Raiser" prided herself on baking everything from scratch.  Some of my fondest memories are waking up on  a Sunday morning to find a home baked pie which include her  flaky pie crust.  The ground nuts give it another dimension!  

¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1½ sticks unsalted butter (sweet cream butter)
5 tablespoons ice water
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon fresh orange or lemon zest
⅓ cup walnuts, finely chopped

Mix flour, salt, sugar, and zest in a bowl or a Cuisinart. Cut in butter by pulsing, using the blade until crumbs have formed. While the Cuisinart is running, add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, through the chute. Once the dough has formed into a ball, remove and place in wax paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour before rolling out.
Fill and bake as directed (you do not have to grease the pie plate).

Appears in Country Comfort: Harvest Cookbook