Basic Pie Shell

This basic pie shell can be made with lard, butter, or margarine as well as with vegetable shortening. As all serious Southern cooks know, nothing produces a flakier pastry (or biscuit) than lard, and if the quality of the lard is good, it can give desserts a unique nutty flavor. Vegetable shortening also yields a flaky texture but lacks the distinctive flavor of lard. Butter and margarine are both richer in flavor than lard or shortening, but since they are only 80 percent fat, they have l