Obama's "Crustmaster" Shares His Pie Recipe

White House pastry chef Bill Yosses' light, flaky pie crusts have earned him the nickname "The Crustmaster" from President Barack Obama. His trick to making fruit pies worthy of a president is to bake the bottom crust first, then fill and top the pie and bake it again.

Yosses prefers to mix the dough by hand to avoid overworking it but for an easier home version, suggests using a food processor.

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BILL YOSSES' APPLE PIE

Start to finish: 3 1/2 hours (30 minutes active)

Servings: 8

For the crust:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

10 ounces unsalted butter, cold, cut into small chunks

3 ounces lard, cold, cut into small chunks

1/2 cup ice water

For the filling:

2 pounds apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

For the egg wash:

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

Sugar, for sprinkling

To make the crust, in a food processor pulse together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and lard, then pulse briefly until the mixture forms small crumbs. Add the ice water and pulse just until a dough forms.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces and shape into discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

To prepare the pie shell, on a floured surface roll out one disc to a 14-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased, deep 9-inch pie pan, leaving a 1 inch overhang. Refrigerate the crust in the pan for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

When ready to bake the bottom crust, heat the oven to 375 F. Line the cold crust with foil and fill with baking weights, rice or dry beans to hold it in place. Bake the pie shell for 30 minutes. Leave the oven on once the crust is done.