Pastry, Pies and Tarts
"Cook your husband what he likes, and save a hundred household strikes."
PIE CRUST.—For one pie, mix one large cup of flour sifted with half a teaspoon of salt, with one half cup of lard and butter mixed. Blend these ingredients thoroughly with the hands or cut and shape with a knife, then lightly mix in one quarter cup ice cold water, just enough to bind the flour and lard together. Use scant measure of water and do not handle much. Flour the molding board and quickly roll half the dough into a thin crust and line the pie tin. Fill the pie with prepared fruit, wet the edges of the crust with water, roll out the balance of the dough for the upper crust, gash it across the center and lift it carefully and cover the pie, pressing edges together with a fork. If a glazed crust is wanted rub the crust over with a little milk, egg and sugar slightly mixed together. This insures a nice brown crust. The oven should be hot enough to turn white note paper a nice, rich brown color in five minutes time. Pastry requires a brisk oven but not too hot. The ingredients for pastry should be very cold. The measure of shortening (lard) should be generous and the water scant and it should not be handled after the water is added only sufficient to lift out of the mixing bowl and roll out. Flour the board well and flour the rolling pin.
CURRANT PIE.—One cup currants (fresh fruit), one cup sugar, one tablespoon flour, two tablespoons water, one lump of butter and yolks of two eggs. Beat all together and bake in one crust. When done frost with the beaten whites of the eggs.—Mrs. Davidson.
CHERRY PIE.—Line a pie plate with pie crust, fill it generously half full of fresh, stoned sour cherries, and sprinkle a generous cupful of sugar over them mixed with one large tablespoon of flour, dot with one level tablespoon of butter cut into bits, cover with another layer of cherries sprinkled lightly with sugar. Cover with an upper crust wetting the edges and pressing well together to prevent juice escaping. Cut a gash in center of top crust to allow steam to escape and bake in a moderate oven for forty minutes or until cherries are tender and the juice bubbles in a simp. If a novice at the work, test the fruit with a broom straw through the gash in the upper crust. If the straw can pierce the fruit easily the pie is done.—Mrs. Whitehead.
FRESH FRUIT PIES.—The recipe for cherry pie applies to all fresh berry or fruit pies gauging the sugar and flour according to the juicy sweetness of the fruit. Gooseberries, currants, strawberries, cranberries and plums will take good full measures of sugar and flour. Raspberries, blue berries and black berries require less sugar and apricots and peaches and apples small measures of flour. A little butter improves the flavor of all fruit pies and apple pie needs a dusting of nutmeg or cinnamon before adding the top crust. Canned fruit may be drained free of its syrup and used the same way using less sugar and adding half a cupful of the syrup.—L. W. W.
LEMON PIE. Crust.—One half large cup of flour, one heaping tablespoon of lard, pinch of salt. Mix well. Add enough water to make paste. Roll thin, put in tin, prick with fork and bake. Filling. One large cup of sugar, two heaping tablespoons of flour, one large cup of boiling water, butter the size of a walnut, juice and grated rind of one lemon, yolks of two eggs. Mix the flour and sugar together, add boiling water, put on the stove and let come to a boil, then add butter, yolks of two eggs, juice and grated rind of one lemon. Remove from fire at once. Beat the whites of two eggs with two tablespoons of sugar and put on top. Put in oven to brown.—Mrs. R. Meidell.
AMERICAN PRUNE PIE.—Stew about twenty four or thirty prunes, pitt and sweeten the prunes. Bake a pie crust. Whip one half pint of cream, sweeten with sugar, flavor with vanilla. Put a layer of prunes in the crust, then the whipped cream on top and serve cold.—Mrs. R. Meidell.
PUMPKIN PIE.—One cupful of mashed pumpkin, three quarters cup of sugar, one teaspoonful of salt, one half teaspoonful each of mace, cinnamon and ginger. Heat one teacupful of milk and beat three eggs and add to mixture. Bake with under crust only.—Mrs. H. Hanson.
PUMPKIN PIE.—One quart milk, three cups stewed pumpkin, one tablespoon flour, four eggs, one and one half cups brown sugar, one half cup molasses, one teaspoon salt, one level tablespoon cinnamon, one teaspoon ginger, one tablespoon melted butter. Bake with an under crust. Makes three pies. Beat eggs, add pumpkin, then flour, sugar, salt, spices, molasses and butter and lastly the milk which may be partly cream. Mix well, fill pie tins which have been lined with pie crust and bake from thirty to forty minutes.—L. W. W.