Preparation

• Lightly dust a small plate with flour. Scatter the butter cubes and shortening on the plate. refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to mix, about 5 times. add the butter and shortening, and pulse until all the fat is in small pieces, the largest about the size of small peas, 12 to 15 times.
• While pulsing the processor, add the water in a continuous stream (the mixture should be crumbly and start to form larger clumps, but not ball up around the blade), 8 to 10 seconds.
• Lightly flour a work surface and your hands. Dump the mixture onto the work surface. Gather the dough into a ball. Gently knead the dough a couple of times to smooth it out, then shape the dough into a disk almost 1 inch thick. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling, or up to overnight.
• For individual pies:If you’re dividing the dough for 4 or 5 individual pies, after kneading to smooth the dough, evenly divide it into the number of pieces you need. If your individual pie dishes have a capacity of 1 cup or slightly more, divide the dough into 4 pieces. If your pans have less capacity, cut into 5 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, flatten into a 3/4-inch-thick disk, then wrap individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight, before using.
• For a double-crust pie:If you prefer to top your pie with pastry (instead of using a potato or cornbread topping), make two batches of the dough. after filling the pie shell, roll out the second piece of dough to be used as the top crust.