[696.] Rhubarb Meringue Pie.— Place a saucepan with 2 cups finely cut rhubarb, 2 cups sugar and ½ cup water over the fire and stew 20 minutes; when done press the rhubarb through a sieve, add the beaten yolks of 4 eggs and set aside; line a deep pie plate with crust, ornament the edge, cover with buttered paper, fill the plate with dry peas and bake till crust is a light brown; then remove paper and peas, fill the plate with the rhubarb mixture and bake about 15 minutes; beat the 4 whites to a stiff froth and mix them with 1 tablespoonful powdered sugar; draw the pie to front of oven, spread over the meringue, bake for a few minutes longer and serve when cold.
[697.] Sweet Potato Pie.— 3 medium sized sweet potatoes, 3 eggs, 1 pint milk, ½ cup sugar, 1 tablespoonful butter, 1 teaspoonful ginger, ½ teaspoonful cinnamon, ½ grated nutmeg and ¼ teaspoonful salt; boil the potatoes until done; scrape off the skin and press the potatoes through a sieve or colander; mix them first with the eggs and salt, then add the melted butter, sugar and spice and lastly the milk; line a large, deep pie plate with rich pie crust, fill in the mixture and bake till done; serve when cold.
[698.] Pumpkin Pie.— Pare and cut a medium sized pumpkin into pieces, remove the pits, put the pumpkin in a kettle, cover with boiling water, add ½ tablespoonful salt and boil till tender; when done put the pumpkin into a colander and drain off all the water; then press it through the colander; measure the strained pumpkin and take for every quart of it 1 pint milk, ½ tablespoonful melted butter, 1½ cups sugar, 3 eggs, 2 teaspoonfuls cornstarch mixed with the milk and 1 teaspoonful ground ginger; mix all the ingredients together; dust some deep pie plates with flour, line them with pie crust and brush the surface of crust all over with beaten egg; roll out some pie crust and cut it into strips 1 inch wide; cut one side of the strips into scallops and lay it around the edge of plate so the scallops stand a little above the edge of plate; brush the strip over with beaten egg and sprinkle 2 tablespoonfuls fine bread or cracker crumbs over the crust (this keeps the pumpkin from sogging into the crust); fill the plate with the pumpkin mixture, grate over the top some nutmeg and bake till done; when the pumpkin is firm to the touch of your finger and a little brown on top the pie is done; remove it from oven, set in a cool place and serve when cold. A medium sized pumpkin will make 4 medium sized pies. A good plan if the family is small is to fill some of the boiled pumpkin as soon as done, boiling hot, into glass jars. Close the jars at once and set them in a cool place. When wanted for use open the jar, turn the pumpkin into a colander, drain off all the water, press the pumpkin through a colander and finish the same as above.
[699.] Custard Pie.— Stir 5 eggs with 5 tablespoonfuls sugar to a cream and add 2 tablespoonfuls essence of vanilla or lemon and 1 quart milk; line a large, deep pie plate with crust, brush the surface of crust all over with the beaten white of egg and sprinkle over 2 tablespoonfuls finely sifted bread or cracker crumbs; pour in the custard, grate over the top some nutmeg and bake in a hot oven till custard is firm. Care must be taken to remove the pie as soon as done, otherwise it will curdle. To ascertain when pie is done stick the handle of a teaspoon into center of custard. If no milk is to be seen and the custard is thick the pie is baked. Remove at once and serve ice cold.
[700.] Cocoanut Pie.— To make 2 large pies take 3 pints milk, 6 eggs, 3 cups freshly grated cocoanut, a pinch of salt, 1½ cups sugar and 1½ teaspoonfuls essence of vanilla; stir sugar and eggs to a cream and add the milk, salt and flavoring; take a large cocoanut, remove the shell without breaking the cocoanut, pare off the brown skin and grate the cocoanut; add 3 cups of the grated cocoanut to the other ingredients; line 2 large, deep pie plates with crust, brush the surface of crust over with the beaten white of egg and sprinkle over 2 tablespoonfuls fine bread or cracker crumbs; fill the plates with the cocoanut mixture and bake in a hot oven till firm and a light brown on top; when done remove it from oven and serve cold.
[701.] Lemon Cocoanut Pie.— 1 pint milk, 4 large eggs, 1½ cups sugar, the grated rind and juice of 1 large lemon, 2 cups freshly grated cocoanut and ½ tablespoonful butter; put milk and butter in a saucepan to boil; stir the 4 yolks and sugar to a cream and add the grated rind and juice of lemon; when this is well mixed add gradually, stirring constantly, the boiling milk; when cold add the grated cocoanut; in the meantime line a large, deep pie plate with pie crust, ornament the edge with a strip of crust cut into scallops, brush the surface of crust all over with beaten egg and sprinkle over 2 tablespoonfuls fine bread or cracker crumbs; pour in the cocoanut mixture and bake in a hot oven. While the pie is baking prepare the following meringue:—Beat the 4 whites to a stiff froth and add 1 tablespoonful powdered sugar and a little essence of lemon; as soon as the pie is done take it from the oven, spread over the meringue, make it smooth with a broad-bladed knife dipped in water and return the pie to the oven for 2 minutes; then set it in a cool place and serve very cold.
[702.] Chocolate Cream Pie.— Place a saucepan with 2 tablespoonfuls grated chocolate, 1 pint milk and ½ cup sugar over the fire; add 2 tablespoonfuls cornstarch and stir and boil for a few minutes; remove from the fire and add 1 teaspoonful essence of vanilla, when cold mix it with the yolks of 4 eggs and finish the same as Vanilla Cream Pie.
[703.] Vanilla Cream Pie.— Line a large, deep pie plate with crust, lay over it a piece of buttered paper, fill the plate with dry peas or pieces of stale bread and bake till crust is a light brown; in the meantime boil 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoonful butter and a pinch of salt; mix 2 tablespoonfuls sifted flour with 1 cup cold milk to a smooth batter and stir it into the boiling milk; continue stirring and boiling for a few minutes; remove it from fire and let it cool a little; stir the yolks of 4 eggs to a cream with 3½ tablespoonfuls sugar; stir this into the above mixture and flavor with 1½ teaspoonfuls essence of vanilla; when the crust is done remove paper and peas, fill in the mixture and bake 10 minutes; in the meantime beat the 4 whites to a stiff froth and mix it with 1 tablespoonful powdered sugar; draw the pie to front of oven and spread over the meringue; set the pie for a few minutes in the oven and serve when cold.
[704.] Orange Cream Pie.— 1½ cups milk, ¾ cup sugar, 1½ tablespoonfuls cornstarch, ½ tablespoonful butter, 4 eggs, the juice of 3 oranges, the grated rind of 1 and a pinch of salt; put cornstarch, butter, milk and salt in a small saucepan, set it in a vessel of boiling water and stir over the fire till the contents of saucepan thicken; then remove it from fire and set aside; stir the yolks of 4 eggs with the ¾ cup sugar to a cream, add it to the boiled cornstarch and lastly stir in gradually the juice and grated rind of oranges; line a deep pie plate with fine pie crust, lay over it a piece of buttered brown paper, fill the plate with dry peas or pieces of stale bread and bake till crust is a light brown; remove the paper and peas, fill in the cream and bake till’ done; in the meantime beat the 4 whites to a stiff froth and add 1 tablespoonful powdered sugar and a little essence of vanilla; when pie is done draw it to front of oven and spread over the meringue; return it for a few minutes to oven; then set the pie in a cool place and serve ice cold.
[705.] Lemon Cream Pie.— Boil 1 cup milk with ½ tablespoonful butter and a pinch of salt; mix 1½ tablespoonfuls cornstarch with ½ cup cold milk and stir it into the boiling milk; continue stirring and boil for a few minutes; remove it from fire and set aside to cool; stir the yolks of 4 eggs with 1 cup sugar to a cream and add the grated rind of 1 lemon and the juice of 2; stir this into the cold cream; line a deep pie plate with fine pie crust, ornament the edge with a border, cover it with buttered brown paper, fill the plate with dry peas or pieces of stale bread and bake till crust is a light brown; remove the paper and peas, put in the cream mixture and bake about 10 minutes; in the meantime beat the 4 whites to a stiff froth and add 1 tablespoonful powdered sugar and a little essence of lemon; when the pie is done draw it to front of oven and spread over the meringue; return the pie for a few minutes to oven; then set it in a cool place and serve cold.