Lattice Pastry Recipes

Steps:

• Pulse the flour, shortening, sugar, salt and 4 tablespoons of the butter in a food processor until the mixture is the consistency of a fine meal. Add the remaining 8 tablespoons butter and pulse to pea-size pieces. Sprinkle the vodka and water over the mixture and pulse until the dough just comes together.
• Divide the dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap, and gently pat each portion into a round. Wrap each round tightly and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour and up to overnight. The dough can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 months.

Steps:

• Combine flour and salt. Cut in lard or shortening with fingertips, knives or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Sprinkle in water, mixing lightly with fingertips or a fork, until particles can be gathered together in a ball. Wrap in foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
• To prepare the pastry in a food processor, combine the flour and salt in work bowl and blend together using the knife blade. Add lard or shortening cut into small pieces and process with an on-off or pulse control for a few seconds, until the mixture achieves a uniform mealy texture. Then, with the machine running, add the water a tablespoon at a time, through the feed tube. You will probably need the smaller amount of water and perhaps as little as one to one-and-a-half tablespoons because of the speed with which a food processor amalgamates the ingredients. Process only until a ball of dough forms.