Baked Quinces.—Wash, core and peel, fill the centers with sugar and put in greased bag with two tablespoonfuls of water allowed for each quince. Seal and bake slowly for an hour, until the quince is tender but not mushy. Serve with the quince syrup and a spoonful of whipped cream on top of each quince.
Baked Raisins.—Remove stems, clean well, put in a colander and wash thoroughly. Put in buttered bag with a cupful of water for each cupful of raisins. Seal and cook slowly for half an hour. A mixture of dried apricots, prunes and cherries is nice with the raisins, but these fruits need long soaking in cold water before adding to the raisins and cooking.
Chestnut Patties.—Beat together, until smooth, one egg and one cupful of pulverized sugar. Add one cupful of chestnut meats that have been put through a nut grinder, five tablespoonfuls of flour and one teaspoonful of baking powder. Beat lightly, then drop by spoonfuls on buttered tins. Dust with pulverized sugar and cinnamon. Put in bag and bake in a quick oven.
CHAPTER XXI.
PASTRY.
Use tin or agate pie plates for paper bag cookery. Line with a delicate crust, and prick the bottom with a fork. Turn in whatever filling you elect to have, and put on top crust or the latticed bars. Cut a cross in the center of a solid crust and turn back the points or prick with a fork. Any pie can be baked in a paper bag with advantage. Cook two pies at once, shifting midway in the cooking from the upper to the lower shelves and vice versa. Have the oven hot when the pies go in, but reduce the heat as soon as the bag corners turn brown. Average pies require about half an hour for the baking.
Plain Pie Crust.—For each pie allow a heaping cupful of pastry flour and sift into a cold bowl with a half teaspoonful of salt and a saltspoonful of baking powder. Have ready a quarter cupful of butter that has been washed in cold water, then chilled on the ice. Work into the sifted flour a quarter cupful of lard or vegetable shortening, using the tips of the fingers or a case knife. As soon as the flour begins to feel like coarse meal, moisten to a dough with cold water. Add a little at a time, handling the crust as lightly as possible. It will take about a quarter of a cupful of water to a heaping cupful of flour. Toss on a smooth board, dredged lightly with flour, pat and roll a quarter of an inch in thickness, keeping the sheet of paste a little wider than it is long. Now place the chilled butter on the center of the lower half of the paste and cover by folding the upper part of the sheet over it. Press the edges together so as to inclose as much air as possible. Fold the right side of the paste over the inclosed butter and the left side under. Turn the paste half way around, pat into shape and roll out lightly having the sheet of paste longer than it is wide, and lifting often to prevent its sticking to the board. Dredge slightly with flour when necessary. Fold again so as to make three layers, divide in halves, pat and roll out the one intended for the lower crust having it a little larger than the pie plate, to allow for shrinkage. Fold back the rolled out crust and readjust in the pie tin letting it come well up over the edge, then pressing back. Turn in the filling then roll out the upper crust. When this reaches the required size, fold over and perforate the center, piercing with a fork or using a knife to make any pattern desired, and place in position over the pie.
Apple Pie.—Peel and slice thin, tart, well flavored apples. Put in crust, sprinkle with sugar, dust with cinnamon or nutmeg, cover with latticed or full crust, put in bag, and bake half an hour in a steady oven.