Principles of food preparation

Method. Sift flour and salt together. Chop the shortening into the flour, add the liquid, and mix lightly to a dough. This should be so stiff as not to stick to the sides of the mixing bowl. Place the dough on a lightly floured molding board, and roll out to a thickness of onefourth of an inch. Then fold one-third of this sheet of pastry over toward the center, fold the remaining third over the double sheet formed by the first fold, and roll the whole again until it is one-quarter of an inch thick. Repeat this process until the folding and rolling have been performed three times. Another method is to roll up the sheet of pastry like a jelly-roll once, and then roll out to a thickness of one-quarter of an inch. The disadvantage of this method is that an inexperienced worker will find it difficult to avoid using that '' heavy hand " for pastry which crushes out the air caught between the folds, and gives a tough, heavy crust instead of one that is flaky, light, and crisp. The proportions given will make a lining for two large pie plates, allowing for building up the rim, or will make an upper and an under crust for one two-crust pie. An example of a cream filling for one good-sized pie is given below. [illustration: Pie diagrams] Date Cream Filling Ingredients. Two cups of rich milk, with flour, butter, and salt in the proportions to make a medium white sauce. (See Chapter II, page 9.) Sugar (one-half cup or more), dates (one cupful or more), eggs (two, three, or four). Method. Make a medium white sauce on the basis of two cups of milk. Add the sugar, then the dates, stoned and chopped, and cook at a low temperature until the dates are softened. Add the well-beaten eggs, pour into the lined pie plate, and bake until the crust is brown. If more than two eggs are used a meringue can be made of two of the whites, and the remainder of the eggs used as described in the filling. The meringue is spread on after the pie is baked. It should then be placed in a cool oven to '' set " and brown very slightly on the top. Note. Pastry should be put into a very hot oven at first, and the heat reduced after it has browned. Ginger Snaps Ingredients. 1 cup flour. 1 tablespoonful dry ginger. l^ teaspoonful salt. \i cupful shortening. 34 cup brown sugar. 34 cupful water. 1 teaspoonful baking powder. Method. Mix and sift together the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and ginger. Rub the shortening into the dry mixture. Add this to the liquid and mix to a stiff dough. Roll out very thin, cut into rounds, and bake for from 5-8 m. in a hot oven. Nut Cookies Ingredients. 2 cups flour. 3^ cup shortening. 3^2 teaspoonful salt. 1 egg. 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder. 2 tablespoonfuls milk. Y2 cup sugar. ^ to 1 cupful chopped nuts. Method. Cream the butter, add the sugar, add the egg, previously well beaten, add the flour — sifted with FLOUR MIXTURES AND LEAVENS: DOUGHS 159 the salt and baking powder — alternately with the milk; lastly stir in the nuts. Roll out moderately thin, cut into rounds, and bake for about 10 m. Hard Gingerbread Ingredients. 2 cups flour. }/2 teaspoonful baking soda. 1 tablespoonful ginger. /^ cup butter. J^ teaspoonful salt. Yi cup molasses.