| 1 | Cut the butter into tablespoon-size pieces. |
| 2 | Put in a food processor and chop by pulsing the machine on and off about 6 times. |
| 3 | Add the egg yolk, water and salt and process until the ingredients are mixed, about 5 seconds. |
| 4 | The butter should still be in little pieces. |
| 5 | Add the flour and process just until the ingredients begin to clump together. |
| 6 | Stop processing before a ball forms, or even begins to form. |
| 7 | Transfer the dough to a large plastic bag. |
| 8 | Working through the bag, press the dough into a ball, then flatten into a disc, about 8 inches wide. |
| 9 | If you are using the dough right away, it must be chilled enough to firm it before rolling. |
| 10 | Place it in the refrigerator or freezer just until it is firm but not hard. |
| 11 | The dough can also be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen. |
| 12 | If so, let stand at room temperature until softened enough to roll without splitting. |
| 13 | 15 minutes before baking, place the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. |
| 14 | Have ready the pie plate or tart pan you will be using. |
| 15 | Roll the dough on a floured board to a circle about 1/8-to-1/16-inch thick. |
| 16 | Lift the dough several times and brush the board with flour to keep the dough from sticking. |
| 17 | Lightly fold the dough in half, then in quarters. |
| 18 | Lift to the pie plate or tart pan and position it with the point in the center. |
| 19 | Unfold and ease it into the bottom and sides of the pan. |
| 20 | Do not stretch the dough. |
| 21 | Leave about ?inch of dough beyond the upper edge of the pan and trim the excess. |
| 22 | Fold the overlap so there is a double thickness of dough around the sides. |
| 23 | Crimp the edge to make a decorative border. |
| 24 | Prick the dough with a fork at random, so steam can escape. |
| 25 | Refrigerate or freeze briefly, to firm the dough. |
| 26 | For a pre-baked shell, line the pastry with aluminum foil and fill the foil with dried beans or rice to weight the pastry. |
| 27 | Place on a baking sheet for easier handling. |
| 28 | Bake for 14 minutes. |
| 29 | Remove the foil with the beans or rice. |
| 30 | (the beans or rice can be used over again as weights). |
| 31 | Prick pastry again, and bake until it is lightly colored, 10 to 14 minutes longer. |
| 32 | Cool on a wire rack before filling. |
| 33 | Sweet variation: add 2 tablespoons sugar to the work bowl with the butter. |
| 34 | Decrease the salt to ?teaspoon. makes 1 crus |
