½ teaspoon salt
Put Spry in medium-sized mixing bowl. Add boiling water and milk and break up shortening with fork. Tilt bowl and, with rapid cross-the-bowl strokes, whip with fork until mixture is smooth and thick like whipped cream and holds soft peaks when fork is lifted.... Sift flour and salt together onto Spry mixture. Stir quickly, with round-the-bowl strokes, into a dough that clings together and “cleans” the bowl.... Pick up and work into a smooth dough; shape into a flat round.... Put dough between two 12″ squares of waxed paper and roll lightly into a circle about size of paper. Peel off top paper, place pastry in 9″ pie pan, pastry next to pan. Carefully remove paper. Fit pastry into pan, trim ½″ beyond pan, turn back even with edge of pan, flute rim. Prick shell all over with fork.... Bake in very hot oven (450°F.) 14-19 minutes.
Makes enough pastry for a 9″ pie shell.
MERINGUE
A handsome meringue is the final touch of flattery to a beautiful pie. Here is a recipe with 7 success secrets written into it:
3 egg whites
6 tablespoons fine granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice or ½ teaspoon vanilla
1. Beat egg whites until stiff and dry (better volume is obtained if whites are not too cold).
2. Add sugar gradually—1 tablespoon at a time—beating well after each addition. Continue beating until stiff peaks form when egg beater is lifted.
3. Add flavoring (the meringue should have flavor as well as the filling).
4. Spread meringue lightly over cooled filling in pie shell, making sure it touches pastry rim all around. (This helps prevent shrinkage.)
5. Make graceful swirls or peaks in the meringue with back of tablespoon or spatula.
6. Bake in slow oven (325°F.) 25-30 minutes, or until meringue is firm and delicately browned.
7. Let pie cool on rack away from drafts.