Everyone has a grandma, or Nana, in my case. I don't think I ever had a cookie or cake baked by her, but her pies were legendary. She used orange juice in the crust which she felt gave the crust its best flavor and texture. Try it as a variation and see if you agree.
Make sure your butter, shortening and orange juice, if using, are used straight from the refrigerator.
Measure flour and salt into a mixing bowl and place in freezer for 15 minutes.
Cut butter and shortening into tablespoon-sized pieces and scatter over dry ingredients. Cut in using a pastry blender until fats are the size of large, flat grapes. Do not overwork; the heat of your hands will melt out the fat, yielding a mealy crust.
Sprinkle the water or orange juice over the flour/fat mixture. Toss in with two forks or fingertips until dough begins to come together.
Scrape dough onto tabletop and knead briefly, just to bring the crust together in a ball. Divide into two pieces, roll into balls and flatten. Wrap both in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. The crust may also be frozen for a week and defrosted in the refrigerator overnight.
To roll out, lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Begin to apply pressure, starting at the center of the dough rolling towards the top of the circle. Then pick up your pin, replace in center and roll towards the bottom. Do the same for the sides and all the in-between angles. Check to see that the dough remains free from sticking to the work surface by spinning in quarter turns. Keep rolling until desired size and thickness is reached. A 1/4-inch thickness is standard, if not specified otherwise.