Pastry Dough (Madam Benoit's No Fail Lemon Tang Pastry)
"(September 2010 update below) This recipe was passed to me as an easy to work with no fail pastry that has made doing pastry easy and fun. Originally from a segment on Madam Benoit's cooking show - a recipe that wowed and was quickly passed around. She is right - it is a wonderful no fail pastry that makes for great tasting pies, as well as being freezer friendly. Recipe POSTED April 2004 - UPDATE Sept. 26, 2010 - am very familiar with the no fail recipe using vinegar and egg which was one often made by my mom - and one of Madame Benoits. It is also found on the back of the Tenderflake box. Another of her pastry recipes is her LEMON TANG PASTRY- and yes it does call for three tablespoons of Lemon juice. I am a Madame Benoit fan and this Lemon Tang Pastry is not mine - it is hers - and in my books an absolute winner ( Madame Benoit was a great cooking show host from way back - a Canadian cooking Institution by herself. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris and went on to become the famous Madame Benoit) It's a big recipe and if you are only making one pie, taking a few extra minutes to roll out shells for the freezer makes for having those pastry shells on hand for those unexpected moments when needing a special dessert. Works for me! Easily halved as well as very freezer friendly."
- Ready In:
- 10mins
- Ingredients:
- 6
- Yields:
-
3-4 pies
ingredients
- 5 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 lb lard, brand of your choice
-
In a one-cup measuring cup
- 1 whole egg
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and add enough water to make for one cup of liquid (I use Realemon)
directions
- A LARGE MIXING BOWL: 5 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon soda Use a whisk to mix.
- Cut in one pound of lard.
- Mix to resemble coarse crumbs.
- IN A ONE CUP MEASURING CUP: Add 1 whole egg 3 tablespoons lemon juice Mix with a fork and add enough water to fill the one cup measuring cup.
- Add the cup of liquid to the dry ingredients and mix until dough forms into a ball.
- (at this point I form into balls using approximate amount for the size pie plate I'm using and place into a plastic bag until ready to roll.) NOTE: Rolling the dough between two sheets of wax paper makes for a nice even sheet of pastry.
- This will make 3-4 double pies-- depending on what size pie pans you are using.
Questions & Replies
Got a question?
Share it with the community!
Reviews
-
This was really easy but i only used three cups of s.r flour and half a tablespoon of sugar, and i used 1lb and a half of butter, and i put in pie pots and made lemon curd tarts-really easy lemon curd search.I placed thin slices f banna and crumbleb over graham cracker?digestive biscuit crumbs. Ate it all in one day yum!! -
Best dough I have ever worked with and good tasting too!
-
This is a very nice easy to work with pastry, I also added some lemon zest to the flour, salt, soda mixture, since I knew I was making all apple pies. Nice recipe. -
When I came to Canada 45 years ago, my UK recipe for pastry did not work. The flour is a higher concentrate of hard wheat and therefore has more gluten. Madame Benoit published her lemon tang pastry in the Toronto Star one weekend after I arrived. I have been using it ever since and here are the proportions from the scrappy piece of newspaper clipping I still have. 5 cups flour, ½ tsp sofa, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp salt, 1 lb lard (did taste better when you get get real lard then), 3 tbsp lemon juice, I egg and water to make the lemon juice and egg up to one cup. In her book “cooks at home” she replaces the lemon juice with 2 tbsp vinegar and the granulated sugar with 1 tbsp brown sugar. I like the lemon one better but is it a question of personal preference. You can throw this pastry against the wall and it would still come out tender and flaky!! -
this recipe is perfect every time I make it love her recipes but I need a single pie crust recipe please
see 3 more reviews
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p>I live in Saskatchewan where hospitality and food go hand in hand. Community suppers, Beef Pit Barbecues, Church suppers, potlucks, tea and bake sales, booths at the curling and hockey rinks in winter, the ball games in summer. What is truly the spirit of Saskatchewan is that these events are for most part the efforts of community volunteers sharing their time as well as their best make and takes. Small communities along with the larger centres across the province are well known for their turkey suppers, cabbage rolls, perogies and overflowing dessert tables. Homemade of course! <br /> <br />I love preparing meals for my family and friends and in the sharing of good recipes be they mine or that of another. My posted recipes are recipes that are family favorites. My reviews here on Zaar allow that I have been most fortunate in the choosing of the recipes I have made. Without doubt we all love those over the top desserts and dishes to serve on special occasions and for those fives are a given. For me equally important are the recipes used in the daily meal preparation. Recipes enjoyed by my family be it a simple soup, salad or casserole are right up there with the 'over the tops' and share equal billing. Yes five star ratings ... if my family enjoyed, I would serve to invited guests, take to a pot luck, coffee hour or bake sale. <br /></p>
<p>Aside from cooking and baking I admit that my interest in gardening exceeds that of the norm. I collect cookbooks, my favorites being the community and church cookbooks that have everyone sharing their favorite recipes. Enjoy yard sales on occasion but tend to keep my hands in my pockets, cannot completely resist when it comes to the glassware, baskets and of course cookbooks. I take great pleasure in reading with non fiction being my first choice when it comes to the choosing.</p>
