The Rural cook book

Cream Pie. — Mix thoroughly two cups of flour and five tablespoonfuls of butter, then add three tablespoonfuls of sugar and one large egg, which has been thoroughly beaten together previously. Roll an eighth of an inch thick, line two pie tins, prick with a fork and bake a pale brown, then fill with this cream: Two cups milk, two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch, five tablespoonfuls of sugar, yolks of five eggs. Cook together like custard, and when cold cover with meringue made of whites of five eggs and five tablespoons powdered sugar. New England Cream Tart Pie. — Select firm Esopus apples and make as dry an apple sauce as possible, sweetened slightly and strained. For a large-sized pie use one pint of apple, one pint of thick cream, yolks of two eggs beaten stiff, and one-half of a nutmeg. An under crust only is used, and this may be balked the day before. Fill and bake about onehalf hour. Use the whites of two eggs for the meringue and brown in the oven. Greenings are good for this pie when Esopus is not at hand, but apples of low quality should not be used for it Crumb Pie. — Soak a pint of bread crumbs in milk. Beat three eggs; add half a cup of sugar. Line two pie plates with crust and strew over enough raisins to cover bottom. Add the bread crumbs to egg and milk, sifting in a bit of cinnamon, pour over the raisins and bake about 30 minutes. Date Pie. — For one pie take one heaping cupful of pastry flour, add a pinch of salt and mix to the right consistency with sweet cream. The crust will be much nicer if allowed to get very cold before using. Filling — To a cupful of seeded dates add a cupful of water, cook over hot water about 20 minutes, then rub through a sieve. Beat an egg and a tablespoonful of sugar until light ; add a tablespoonful of lemon juice, the date paste and gradually a cupful of scalded milk. Four into a half baked shell and finish baking in a moderate oven until a knife blade can penetrate it and come out clean. Delectable Tarts. — One cup of slightly sour cream, one cup of-seeded and chopped raisina, one cup of sugar and one egg with a delicate flavoring of spices. Beat the egg light, add the cream and sugar; the raisins well floured and spices. Bake in tart or patty pans with a single crust Elderberry Pie. — Line a pie dish with paste, upon which sprinkle a scant tablespoonful of flour; to this add a half cup of sugar and a half teaspoonful each of cloves and cinnamon, rubbing all together evenly. Upon this pour the berries, a pint more or less according to the size of . your pie dish; pour over another half cup of sugar, dot generously with butter, adding last one large tablespoonful of good vinegar. Apply top crust quickly and bake. Grape Cobbler. — This is best made from very ripe black grapes. Wash them twice — on the bunches and after picking. Line a deep pie dish with half-inch rich crust, put in the grapes and all the sugar that will lie between them, heaping the fruit a little in the middle. Put on the top crust, cut cross slits in the middle and fold back the corners to leave an open square. Set the dish in a quick oven and while the pie bakes make a sauce, using half a cup of butter, one cup of sugar and one tablespoon boiling water. Stir well over hot water and flavor with lemon juice, or grated nutmeg, according to taste. When the pie is nearly done take it out, pour in the sauce through the opening in the crust, return it to the oven. Be careful not to overbake, but keep it hot until served.