Domestic science (1914 text-book)

Lard makes a light-colored, tender, flaky crust. Cottolene makes a crust that is slightly darker. Different kinds of shortening may be combined and give satisfactory results; beef suet and butter are a good combination. Butter gives a slight flavor. What has been learned: 1. Shortness, or tenderness, of crust is dependent upon: (a) Amount of flour used in proportion to amount of shortening; (6) amount of water; (c) temperature of ingredients; (d) amount of handling; (e) time required to combine the ingredients. 2. The flakiness of the crust depends upon the kind and amount of shortening used. Additional Recipes Pastry 2 c flour } c butter cold water 2 tb lard J tp salt Combine as in the class rule of the first recipe. Pastry with Baking Powder 1} c flour i tp salt cold water J to } c shortening i tp baking powder Combine as in the class rule of the first recipe. Lesson LV Peach or Apple Bib Materials used: Pie crust: i e flour ^ tb butter salt I tb lard white of one egg cold water Filling: Canned fruit Digitized by Google Utensits needed: Measuring cup teaspoon rolling pin floiu* sifter case knives molding board tablespoon bowls pie tin Work to be done: 1 . Make paste according to directions given in preceding lesson. 2. Cut paste into two parts. Roll out one part and put it in a pie tin, being careful to exclude all air from underneath. Rub it over with the white of an egg. 3. Roll out the other piece of pastry. Gash it in any design desired with a knife. 4. Turn the filling into the pie. Sprinkle a Uttle flour over the fruit. 5. Moisten the edge of the lower layer with cold water. 6. Place the upper crust in position. 7. Press the top crust well down over the edge of the second. 8. Trim off the edges. 9. Bake in a moderately warm oven until the crust is of a delicate brown. Principles: The thin fruit juice has a tendency to soak into the crust. Rubbing the crust over with the white of egg forms a mucilaginous, or sticky, layer through which the juice cannot easily penetrate. The same purpose is effected by sprinkling the fruit with flour, for in this manner the juice becomes thickened and will not so readily soak into the crust. Sometimes a little paper funnel is inserted through the top crust in order to prevent the escape of the juice. The soaking is something that must be very carefully guarded against, for if the juices escape, they will cause the under crust to stick to the pie tin, making the pie less attrac- FiG. 70. — Funnel Inserted into Pie Digitized by Google tive. The escaping juices will cause a disagreeable odor and smoke, besides being very difficult to remove from the oven. The heat of the oven will cause steam to be generated within the pie. Some provision must be made for the escape of the steam, for if allowed to remain, the crust will become watersoaked and will not bake. For this reason, the top crust must be slit with numerous openings. The use of part butter gives a flakier crust and a better flavored one thau if lard alone is used. Serving: Pie is served as a dessert for dinner. It is served on a dessert plate usually with a piece of cheese, which is commonly supposed to aid in digestion of the pie, placed at the side. It is now quite common also to bring the whole pie to the table. It is placed in front of the hostess who cuts and takes out the pieces with a pie knife, placing on dessert plates which are at her left. Table manners: Rule: The fork alone should he used in eating pie. In some localities, it was in earlier days a custom to use the knife and fork to cut the pie and to use the knife to convey the cut portions to the mouth; but this custom is no longer followed. Only the fork is used for cutting and conveying to the mouth. Cleaning up: