A text-book of cooking

Scant Vz cup butter, 1-3 cup I powdered sugar and 1% cups graham carcker crumbs. Mix graham cracker crumbs with sugar and butter which has been creamed until smooth. Pat mixture into pie plate. Place in refrigerator for several hours .and fill with favorite pie filling. Almond. TER3£ Fig. 56. — Composition of butter. How do tbey differ in moisture, method of preparation, and length of time in cooking ? Give the reason for these differences. From U. S. Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 28, tabulate the percentage composition of butter (see Fig. 66), oleomargarine, lard, and cottolene. What is the price per pound of each ? Which furnishes more fat, — a pound of butter or a pound of lard ? If lard or cottolene were substituted for butter in a cake or other quick bread, should the same quantity be used ? Explain. DESSON lxxxvii Pie with Upper Crust: Fruit Pie Digestion of Pastry. — When fats are heated to a high temperature, they do not boil, but are decomposed. The products of this decomposition are less readily digested than is fat before it is heated. Hence in fried foods, the fat is made somewhat indigestible. Thus it is much better to spread uncooked fat over hot potatoes than to combine the two foods by frying the potatoes. Not only the fat of fried foods is indigestible, but the fried food, itself, is difficult of digestion. The fat forms a seal over the food particles, and retards the action of the digestive juices. When fat and flour are combined in making pastry, no digestion of the flour takes place in the mouth, hence more work is placed upon the intestines. A combination of bread and butter is a much better food than a mixture of flour and fat in the form of pastry. Pie with the Upper Crust. — In the previous lesson (see Pie with Under Crust, p. 252), it was mentioned that " pasty " pie crust was not readily digested. For this reason, it is desirable to make fresh fruit pie with an upper crust only. Such pie should be baked in an earthenware or granite pan. The fruit is placed in the pie pan ; then a half-inch strip of pastry is placed over the rim of the pie pan; the strip is moistened and the crust placed over the PIE WITH UPPER CRUST 255 top. The strip of pastry and the upper crust are pressed together, then the edges of the latter are trimmed. The upper crust should be cut in several places for the escape of steam. APPLE PIE Cut apples into slices, and for each apple use 2 tablespoonfuls (or more) of sugar. If the apples are not juicy, add from £ to 1 tablespoonful of water for each apple. Flavor with lemon juice, cinnamon, or nutmeg. Turn into a deep earthenware or granite pan, add bits of butter, and cover with pastry as directed above. Bake until the apples are soft and the crust is brown. Apple sauce may be used as a filling for a baked crust. Such a pie is sometimes covered with meringue or strips of pastry. RHUBARB PIE 2 cupfuls rhubarb, cut in small pieces 1 egg 1 cupful sugar 4 tablespoonfuls flour Salt Lemon rind Mix the sugar, salt, lemon rind, and flour together ; beat the egg. Add the rhubarb and flour mixture to the egg. Bake with a top crust as directed in Apple Pie. Rhubarb contains such a large percentage of moisture that it is well to use but one crust. Explain why it is that baked potatoes and butter are more readily digested than fried potatoes. Explain why it is that bread and butter are more readily digested than pastry or fried bread and butter. What is the advantage of using only a top crust for fresh fruit pie ? What is the purpose of egg and flour in Rhubarb Pie ? Why is it desirable to use these ingredients with rhubarb ? Why should the flour in Rhubarb Pie be mixed with sugar ? How much water is there in apples and rhubarb? (See U. S. Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 28 and Fig. 60, p. 264.) #