Great Pumpkin Pie Crust

⅓ cup water

Ice cubes

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1½ tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces

⅓ cup shortening, cut into small pieces

Dried black beans or pie weights

Move oven rack to second from bottom position and heat oven to 375 degrees. For best results, bake only 1 pie at a time in oven. Lightly spray or grease bottom of a 9-inch Pyrex pie plate and use fingers to lightly coat sides and rim of pie plate. Have on hand round 12- to 13-inch pizza pan lined with foil.

Mix water and a few ice cubes in cup; set aside to chill.

Add flour, sugar and salt to food processor bowl; pulse 3 times to distribute evenly. Add half the cold butter and half the cubed shortening and process for 4 to 5 quick pulses. Remove lid and run spatula around sides to stir.

Add remaining butter and shortening; process for 4 to 5 quick pulses. Remove lid, stir dough. Process in quick pulses just until mixture looks and feels crumbly and no longer looks flour white. Pour dough mixture into large bowl and stir with fork to break up lumps.

Sprinkle mixture with 3 tablespoons ice water. Gently stir with fork until lightly combined. Let rest for 2 minutes while flour absorbs water. If dough feels dry to touch, add 1½ tablespoons ice water and repeat process. When dough feels damp, use flexible dough scraper/spatula and press into ball. Working quickly, gently form into disc with hands.

Dust large piece of plastic wrap with flour, place dough disc in center, dust top with flour and lightly wrap. Using rolling pin, gently and evenly roll to ¾ inch thickness; chill 45-60 minutes. Less time and dough will be too soft to roll. More time and dough will need to warm at room temperature before rolling.

Generously flour surface for rolling. Using forward and back motion, roll dough in quarter turns into 12½- to 13-inch circle. Gently run fingers under dough to add flour as needed. Starting at one edge, roll dough onto pin using hand spatula as guide. Carefully lift and roll out into pie plate. Alternatively, carefully fold dough in half, then half again. Place in pie plate and unfold slowly.

Fit dough into pan, pressing slightly on edges and bottom. Gently mold top edge without crimping. Place in freezer for 10 minutes. Remove from freezer and create decorate top edge by crimping dough between fingers. Chill crust 1 hour in refrigerator, then freeze for 20 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove crust from freezer and line with double thickness foil to cover bottom and up sides of pie plate. Add dried black beans or pie weights to cover bottom of crust. Bake 20 minutes.

Carefully take crust from oven, place on rack and remove foil and beans. Raise oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake 5 minutes. Allow to cool and fill as desired.

Makes one, 9-inch pie crust.