Martha Stewart | To make 'wow' pies, in Martha we crust

This recipe for Paté Brisée makes enough for 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9-inch pies

To ensure a flaky crust, chill the butter and the flour before using. A food processor yields the best results, but you can use a pastry cutter instead; work quickly so that the butter remains cold.

I usually divide the dough into two pieces, one about three-fifths of the total and the other, two-fifths. Use the smaller amount for the bottom crust and the larger piece for the top. I roll out both and chill them on parchment paper until I'm ready to use them.

PATÉ BRISÉE

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2teaspoons coarse salt

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 1/4 sticks (18 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

7 tablespoons to 10

tablespoons ice water

1. Pulse flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Add butter, and pulse until coarse crumbs form, about 10 seconds.

2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream just until dough holds together and is not wet or sticky, no longer than 30 seconds.

3. Divide dough into two portions, and shape each into a disk. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. Dough can be frozen up to 1 month; thaw in refrigerator overnight before using.

FLUTED-ROUNDS PIECRUST: You will need a 1-inch fluted round cookie cutter to make this crust.

1. Roll out one portion of the dough to 1/8-inch thick, and fit it into a pie plate. Roll out remaining dough to 1/8-inch thick, and use a 1-inch fluted round cutter to cut out about 70 rounds, rerolling scraps if necessary.

2. Place filling in pie plate, mounding it in the center. Lightly brush edge of crust with a basic egg wash (1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon heavy cream whisked together).

3. Arrange rounds around the perimeter of the pie crust partly on top of the filling, overlapping them slightly. Lightly brush top of each round with egg wash as you work to help them adhere to one another.

4. Repeat, overlapping rounds to spiral from the outside of the pie to the center, until filling is completely covered.

5. Lightly brush the entire surface of the crust with egg wash, then sprinkle with fine sanding sugar before baking. Bake pie according to your favorite recipe, or go to the Web site www.marthastewart.com/holidaypies for the Spiced Apple Pie With Fluted Round Cutouts recipe.

FAUX-LATTICE PIECRUST: You will need a -inch square cookie cutter to make this crust.

1. Roll out one portion of dough to 1/8-inch thick, and fit it into a pie plate. Roll out remaining dough on lightly floured parchment to 1/8-inch thick. Gently press a 9-inch springform or cake pan into dough to make a light indentation.

2. Using a -inch square cutter, cut a lattice pattern out of the round, leaving a 1/2-inch border between cutouts and edge of circle. To make partial squares where the lattice meets the rounded edge, make a light indentation with the cutter, then use a knife to cut out the portion inside the circle.

Cut out circle, leaving an additional 1/2-inch of dough beyond the marked circle. Re-roll scraps, and cut out as many squares as possible. Refrigerate lattice and squares for 1 hour.

3. Place filling in pie crust, mounding it slightly so it rises just above the edge of the pie plate. Lightly brush edge of crust with a basic egg wash (1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon heavy cream whisked together). Carefully invert chilled lattice on top of filling. Gently press edges to seal. Brush entire surface of lattice with egg wash.

4. Arrange squares around perimeter of pie to create a rippled edge, overlapping the squares slightly and brushing the top of each one with egg wash as you work to help them adhere before baking. Bake pie according to your favorite recipe, or visit www.marthastewart.com/holidaypies for the Pear-Cranberry Pie With Faux Lattice recipe. *

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