French Canadian Maple Syrup Pie

Pie Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
2 tablespoons shortening, very cold
About 4 tablespoons ice water

Mix flour, salt and sugar. Cut butter into pieces. Cut in butter and shortening until it looks like flaky meal. Sprinkle in ice water. Work into a ball that cleans the sides of the mixing bowl. (To mix in a food processor, place dry ingredients in the work bowl, top with pieces of cold butter and shortening, and pulse until mealy. With machine running, pour in ice water all at once. When dough forms a ball that knocks around the sides of the bowl, stop machine at once.)

Flatten dough into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill 30 minutes.

Roll dough into a circle 3 to 4 inches wider than a 9-inch pie plate, set in the plate, and trim with scissors so dough extends 3/4 inch beyond the rim. Fold overhang under so it is even with plate's rim and crimp into large flutes. Chill 30 minutes while preparing filling.

Maple Filling:
1 1/2 cups brown maple sugar*
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 egg

* Or use light brown sugar.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place first five ingredients in a heavy saucepan and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Beat egg and add it to the mixture. Pour filling into chilled pie shell. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Slice and serve warm on plates with a thick layer of cr me fra che or plain cream, poured over and down the sides of each wedge.

Cr me Fra che:
1 cup cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk

Put cream into a jar with a lid. Add buttermilk. Screw on the lid and leave the jar at a warm room temperature for 24 hours, then chill the thickened cream. The cream should thicken.