Mazdaznan encyclopedia of dietetics and home cook book

Cut six ripe, yellow cucumbers lengthwise to about the thickness of half an inch and add six large, thin-sliced onions ; pack in layers in a porcelain-lined kettle alternately with one cupful of salt; let it stand over night; in the morning pour off the liquid. Now add one-half pint of pure apple cider and one-half pint of cider vinegar. Cook for fifteen minutes. Pack layer upon layer in an earthenware jar; sprinkle mustard seeds quite freely over each layer, and lastly pour the juice on. The vinegar may be sweetened with two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and three bay leaves may be used in cooking, but should be removed before mess is put in jar, PIES. There can be no objection to the eating of pies if they are well baked and their crusts do not contain animal oils. Doughy pies of ghostly hue, flavored with the extract of swine adipose tissue, can scarcely be expected to answer as an after-dinner relish for every hungry mortal. In the making of pie crust, use only vegetable oils, such as olive, cottonseed or cocoanut. To insure a fine, palatable crust, beat the oil before using until it will froth. Such oil will make a much finer crust and work more readily with flour than animal fats or butter, and it will require less oil. Clarified butter may be used, but it is considered objectionable on account of its indigestibility. Persons subject to liver and stomach disorders should not use it, nor any other animal oil, for that matter. Admixtures of animal fats and starch, such as pies, pastry, etc., should not be given to children. Always bake pies until both upper and lower crusts are a golden brown, otherwise they are indigestible and lie heavily on the stomach. The human stomach has developed beyond the digesting of raw starch, and attention to this fact will alleviate much suffering. Students and others in the schoolroom will sooner or later pay the penalty for the continued eating of noonday lunches composed of white bread and half-baked pie impregnated with animal fats. PIE CRUST. Sift together one quart of flour with one teaspoonful salt ; add two-thirds cupful well-beaten cocoanut, olive or cottonseed oil, working it in thoroly ; then pour in gradually one cupful cold water. Knead into firm dough with least possi- ble handling ; roll out on floured board to thin sheet and lay on graniteware pie plates. Before putting in the pie mixture, wet the crust dough when in the plates with beaten white of an egg to prevent juices soaking thru and making crust soggy. Bake pies in moderate oven, being careful to brown the lower as well as the upper crust. Enough for four pies. APPLE PIE. To make an apple pie that is a charm, it is necessary to use finely flavored and tart apples. Pare and core them, put them with a little water into a graniteware saucepan over the fire and boil until soft. Add sugar to taste and beat to smooth cream. Put generous quantity into each crust-lined plate, add a dash of ground cinnamon, put on upper crust and bake in brisk oven to golden brown. CRACKER PIE. Beat together the yolk of one egg, one tablespoonful butter and two tablespoonfuls sugar. Add the dust of four finely rolled soda crackers and one cupful of milk. Boil it all until thick. Use white of egg for frothing. Bake in open crust. CUSTARD PIE.