Using a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture becomes coarse meal, about 15 pulses.
In a small bowl, combine egg yolk, water and vanilla extract. Add the egg mixture to food processor and pulse until it starts to clump together. DO NOT pulse until ball is formed. It should be crumbly with large clumps of dough.
Turn dough only a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Cut in half and flatten each ball slightly to form a disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and put in fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
Remove dough from the fridge about 10 minutes before you begin rolling. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough so that it is about 3 inches longer than you pie dish and is between ⅛ inch and ¼ inch in thickness. Press the dough into the bottom and along the sides of the pie plate, being careful not to puncture the dough. Crimp edges of pie. Place pie crust back in fridge for 30 minutes.
While the crust is chilling, preheat oven to 375°F and place baking sheet in the oven. Crunch up some parchment paper and line pie crust with it. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or rice, making sure they are evenly distributed.
Place pie on preheated baking sheet and bake until the edges of the crust are beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and take out the parchment paper with the weights. Poke holes around the bottom of the crust with a fork and place back in the oven, baking for another 15 minutes, or until the bottom is golden brown.