This versatile dough can be the basis for either fruit or meat pies. The recipe comes from Deborah Madison's "The Greens Cookbook" (Bantam, 1987).

Combine The Flour And Salt in a bowl; then add the butter and shortening. With your hands, work the fat and flour together, sliding and flattening the mixture between your palms, or thumb and fingertips, until the butter and shortening are evenly distributed. Add 2 1/2 tablespoons cold water and lightly work it into the flour, using your fingers, slightly cupped together, or a fork. Gather the dough into a ball, sprinkle a few drops of water over any remaining dry ingredients and gather them together. Cover the dough with waxed paper or plastic wrap, flatten it into a disk, and let it rest at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before using. The dough can also be frozen at this point for future use. When you are ready to roll the dough, lightly flour the work surface and the top of the dough. If it is stiff from the cold, let it sit for 20 minutes before you roll it out. Roll it out with firm, even strokes into a circle about 1/8-inch thick. Pick it up on the rolling pin and slide it onto the pie dish or tart mold. Or, alternatively, fold it into quarters, lay it with the point in the center of the pan, then unfold. Trim the edges, leaving an overhang of an inch or so; then fold the overhang under and crimp the edge. To partially pre-bake the crust, first freeze the empty shell until it is quite firm. If you intend to freeze the crust for an extended period of time, wrap it in foil. When ready to use, preheat the oven to 425F. Set the frozen tart shell directly into the oven and bake until the crust has a "set" appearance and is just beginning to color, about 8-to-10 minutes. While the crust is baking, check to see that the bottom is now swelling with steam and air. If it does, prick it lightly with a paring knife. More traditionally, the crust may be prebaked unfrozen, first lining it with buttered foil, filling the foil with pie weights or dry beans, then baking, as above, until the edges are set and slighted browned. Makes 1 9-Inch Pie or Tart