For a double-crust pie, simply double the above ingredients.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Place the Crisco in a bowl. Over it, pour 1 cup of the flour (reserving 1/4 cup flour) and the salt. With your pastry blender (some old timers use a fork), cut the flour and salt into the Crisco until mixed.
Mix the 1/4 cup of reserved flour with the 2-1/2 tablespoons (estimate, or, if you must be exact, a half tablespoon equals 1-1/2 teaspoons) in a small cup to make a smooth paste. Pour the paste over the pastry mixture and continue cutting in with the pastry blender until incorporated. Remember, the less you work the dough, the lighter and flakier the pastry.
Form pastry into a ball, flatten and roll between sheets of waxed paper (you may see little veins of Crisco here and there, but that's okay) to a thickness of about 1/8 inch and 1 inch wider than pie pan. Peel off top piece of waxed paper (tear off in pieces, if you like), invert pie pan on dough surface, turn over, center dough on pie pan, and peel off second sheet of waxed paper. (If any little tears in the dough result, just pinch it back together.) Trim dough to a 1-inch overhang, then turn under to make an edge. You can put a fancy crimp in the edge, if you wish.
For a pre-baked pie shell, prick bottom and side of pastry with a fork to avoid bubbles (those pie pans with the holes in them are good for this purpose), and bake in a oven 425°F for 10 to 12 minutes until the crust is nicely browned.
