Mix the sugar, flour, and corn-starch, add the boiling water. Stir and cook on the back of the range, or over an asbestos mat, for 15 minutes. Add the egg yolks and cook at simmering temperature, until the eggs thicken. Add the remaining ingredients. Cool and place in a baked crust. Cover with a meringue. Bake until the meringue is a light brown, i.e. at 300 degrees F., 10 to 15 minutes.
Note that the lemon is added to the mixture after cooking. Cooking a starchy material with a small amount of acid, dextrinizes the starch. Since dextrin has less thickening power than starch, the starch mixture would become thinner if cooked for some time with lemon.
SCORE CARD FOR PIE,—DETERMINING ITS QUALITY
Flavor 30
Tenderness 20
Lightness 10
Flakiness 10
Appearance (color and thickness) 10
Filling (flavor and consistency) 20
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Total 100
QUESTIONS
Why should not the fingers be used to mix the fat with the dry ingredients in pastry making?
Why is it easier to roll out pastry, if it has been chilled after mixing?
Why should a lower crust, when used alone, be baked before adding the filling?
What is the purpose of pricking the lower crust with a fork before baking?
Compare the filling for Lemon Pie with that for Cream Puffs. How do they differ in moisture, method of preparation, and length of time in cooking? Give the reason for these differences.