PEACH PIE

Fill the lower crust with the sliced peaches and sprinkle with the sugar, salt, and flour, which have been previously mixed. Moisten the edge of the lower crust, cover with the top crust, and bake in a moderately hot oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Peach pie served hot with whipped cream makes a very delicious dessert.

42. THICKENING JUICY FRUITS FOR PIES.--When particularly juicy fruit, such as berries, cherries, peaches, etc., is used for pie, flour or other starchy material must necessarily be used to thicken the juice and thus prevent it from running out when the pie is served. If the fruit is very sour, a proportionately larger quantity of flour will be necessary. This is due to the fact that the acid of the fruit reduces the starch in the flour to dextrine, and this form of carbohydrate does not have so much thickening power as the starch in its original form had.

The same thing takes place when browned flour is used in making sauce or gravy. As experience will prove, browned flour must be used in greater quantity than white flour or a thinner sauce will be the result. The browned flour and the flour cooked with the acid of fruits are similar so far as their thickening power is concerned, for the one is reduced to dextrine by the application of dry heat or hot fat and the other by moist heat and the presence of acid.

43. RHUBARB PIE.--Rhubarb is practically the first fresh material for pie that can be purchased in the spring and is therefore very much appreciated. The most popular form in which it is served is probably in pie. It requires considerable sugar in order to make it palatable and should be thickened with starchy material so that it will not be too juicy when it is served.

RHUBARB PIE

Cut the rhubarb into inch lengths without removing the skin and place in the lower crust. Mix the sugar, corn starch, and salt, and sprinkle over the top. Cover with a top crust and bake in a moderately hot oven for about 35 minutes. If desired, some lemon rind may be grated into the pie to give additional flavor.

44. MINCE PIE.--Mince meat, which is much used for pies during the fall and winter season, is a concoction that finds favor with most people. It may be comparatively simple or it may contain a large variety of ingredients, and in accordance with this variation it may be cheap or expensive. However, the ingredients generally used in this mixture are apples, dried fruits, sugar, molasses, cider, and chopped beef and suet. Other fruits, such as quinces, oranges, and citron, and various spices are also often used for flavoring. The cheaper cuts of meat, such as the neck, shoulder, brisket, etc., are suitable for this purpose, because the meat is ground so fine in making the mince meat that the fact that it was at all tough can be very readily concealed. Such expensive material as citron can be omitted altogether if desired and greater quantities of apples, which are the cheapest ingredient, used. A slight variation in the ingredients does not make any material difference in this mixture and the recipes given are submitted merely as a basis from which to work. If used just as they are given, they will be found to be excellent; but if it is necessary to practice greater economy or if it is not possible to secure all the ingredients called for, they may be varied to suit conditions. The juice from pickled fruits, jelly, or the juice from preserves or canned cherries may be used in any desired proportion in the making of mince meat to replace some of the cider.