Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume IV Part 35

Apples 1/3 c. water 2/3 c. brown sugar Cinnamon

Prepare the required number of apples for one pie, place in a baking dish with the water and brown sugar, and bake in the oven until the apples are tender and the water has sufficiently evaporated. This should be done in a slow oven, so as not to burn the apples and to give them rather long cooking. Remove from the oven, place on the lower crust, sprinkle with cinnamon, and cover with the upper crust. Bake in a hot oven until the crusts are sufficiently baked and brown.

39. BERRY PIE.--Blackberries, blueberries or huckleberries, and red and black raspberries may be used for pie in the same way by merely varying the amount of sugar with the sourness of the berries. For instance, blackberries will probably require a little more sugar than raspberries, while blueberries will require the least.

BERRY PIE

3 to 4 c. berries 1/2 to 3/4 c. sugar 3 Tb. flour Pinch of salt

Look the berries over carefully and remove any spoiled ones, leaves, and stems. Wash thoroughly and fill the lower crust. Add the sugar mixed with the flour and salt. Cover with the top crust and bake for about 30 minutes in a moderately hot oven.

40. CHERRY PIE.--Both sweet and sour cherries may be used for making pie, but sour cherries are by far the more desirable. Their only disadvantage is that they require a rather large amount of sugar.

Cherries used for pies should always be seeded. Canned cherries may be used for this purpose as well as fresh ones, but they are not so delicious. The proportion of sugar used for making cherry pie will, of course, need to be varied according to the sourness of the cherries used.

CHERRY PIE

4 c. seeded cherries 1 1/4 c. sugar 4 Tb. flour Pinch of salt

Fill the lower crust of the pie with the cherries. Mix the sugar, flour, and salt and sprinkle over the top. Moisten the edge of the lower crust, place the top crust in position, and bake in a moderately hot oven for about 30 or 35 minutes.

41. PEACH PIE.--Fresh peaches make a very delicious pie. Canned peaches may be used as well, but they do not make so good a pie. Less sugar will be needed if canned peaches are used instead of fresh ones because they are usually canned with sugar. Clingstone peaches may be used rather advantageously for making pie because the fact that they cannot be cut from the stones in uniform pieces makes less difference for pie than for serving in almost any other way.

PEACH PIE

1 qt. sliced peaches 3/4 c. sugar Pinch of salt 3 Tb. flour

Fill the lower crust with the sliced peaches and sprinkle with the sugar, salt, and flour, which have been previously mixed. Moisten the edge of the lower crust, cover with the top crust, and bake in a moderately hot oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Peach pie served hot with whipped cream makes a very delicious dessert.

42. THICKENING JUICY FRUITS FOR PIES.--When particularly juicy fruit, such as berries, cherries, peaches, etc., is used for pie, flour or other starchy material must necessarily be used to thicken the juice and thus prevent it from running out when the pie is served. If the fruit is very sour, a proportionately larger quant.i.ty of flour will be necessary.

This is due to the fact that the acid of the fruit reduces the starch in the flour to dextrine, and this form of carbohydrate does not have so much thickening power as the starch in its original form had.

The same thing takes place when browned flour is used in making sauce or gravy. As experience will prove, browned flour must be used in greater quant.i.ty than white flour or a thinner sauce will be the result. The browned flour and the flour cooked with the acid of fruits are similar so far as their thickening power is concerned, for the one is reduced to dextrine by the application of dry heat or hot fat and the other by moist heat and the presence of acid.

43. RHUBARB PIE.--Rhubarb is practically the first fresh material for pie that can be purchased in the spring and is therefore very much appreciated. The most popular form in which it is served is probably in pie. It requires considerable sugar in order to make it palatable and should be thickened with starchy material so that it will not be too juicy when it is served.

RHUBARB PIE

1 qt. rhubarb 1-1/2 c. sugar 2 Tb. corn starch Pinch of salt

Cut the rhubarb into inch lengths without removing the skin and place in the lower crust. Mix the sugar, corn starch, and salt, and sprinkle over the top. Cover with a top crust and bake in a moderately hot oven for about 35 minutes. If desired, some lemon rind may be grated into the pie to give additional flavor.

44. MINCE PIE.--Mince meat, which is much used for pies during the fall and winter season, is a concoction that finds favor with most people. It may be comparatively simple or it may contain a large variety of ingredients, and in accordance with this variation it may be cheap or expensive. However, the ingredients generally used in this mixture are apples, dried fruits, sugar, mola.s.ses, cider, and chopped beef and suet.

Other fruits, such as quinces, oranges, and citron, and various spices are also often used for flavoring. The cheaper cuts of meat, such as the neck, shoulder, brisket, etc., are suitable for this purpose, because the meat is ground so fine in making the mince meat that the fact that it was at all tough can be very readily concealed. Such expensive material as citron can be omitted altogether if desired and greater quant.i.ties of apples, which are the cheapest ingredient, used. A slight variation in the ingredients does not make any material difference in this mixture and the recipes given are submitted merely as a basis from which to work. If used just as they are given, they will be found to be excellent; but if it is necessary to practice greater economy or if it is not possible to secure all the ingredients called for, they may be varied to suit conditions. The juice from pickled fruits, jelly, or the juice from preserves or canned cherries may be used in any desired proportion in the making of mince meat to replace some of the cider.

45. Mince pie is most palatable when served warm, but it is entirely permissible to make several pies at a time and then warm them in the oven before serving. In this way they may be kept over for several days.

Pie of this kind made with the usual ingredients is a heavy dessert, for it contains a certain amount of protein material and is high in fat and carbohydrate. This fact should be taken into consideration in meal planning, so that the dessert may balance properly with the other food.

MINCE PIE

4 lb. beef 15 medium-size apples 4 quinces, chopped 1/2 lb. citron 3 lb. raisins, seeded 6 oranges 2 c. suet 1 lb. sugar 1 c. vinegar 3 c. cider 1-1/2 c. mola.s.ses 2 Tb. cinnamon 2 tsp. cloves 2 tsp. nutmeg

Let the beef simmer in sufficient water to cover it well until it is tender, and then allow it to cool in the water in which it was cooked.

This broth may be used as part of the liquid in the mince meat if desired. Chop the meat very fine with a chopping knife and bowl or put it through a food chopper. Chop the apples and quinces, cut the citron, and wash the raisins. Squeeze the juice from the oranges and grate the rinds. Force the suet through a food chopper or chop it with a chopping knife. Mix all these ingredients, add the sugar, liquids, and spices, and place in a large vessel. Simmer slowly for 1 hour. Stir frequently to prevent scorching. If the mince meat is cooked in the oven, it is less likely to scorch. Seal in fruit jars the same as for canned fruit and store for future use.

To bake mince pie, fill the lower crust with the mince-meat mixture, place the upper crust in position, and put the pie into a hot oven.

Gradually reduce the heat, baking the pie for about 45 minutes.

46. MOCK MINCE PIE.--If a slightly more economical mince pie than the preceding one is desired, the recipe here given for mock mince pie may be followed. The various ingredients in the quant.i.ties mentioned will make enough for four or five pies of regular size. To make up more than this is not advisable because the material will not keep so well, nor is it intended to be stored for future use.

MOCK MINCE PIE

2 c. suet 8 apples 8 crackers 1 c. sugar 1 c. mola.s.ses 1-1/2 c. corn sirup 2 c. cider 1/2 c. vinegar 1 lb. raisins 1 Tb. cinnamon 1 tsp. cloves 1 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. salt

Force the suet and apples through a food chopper or chop them in a chopping bowl. Crush the crackers with a rolling pin and add them. Add the sugar, mola.s.ses, corn sirup, cider, vinegar, raisins, spices, and salt. Cook together very slowly for about 1 hour, stirring to prevent burning. If more liquid is required, add cider or some other fruit juice, or, if these are not available, add plain water. Fill the lower crust of the pie with this mixture, cover with the top crust, and start baking in a hot oven, gradually lowering the temperature and continuing to bake for 40 to 50 minutes.

47. MOCK CHERRY PIE.--A pie that closely resembles cherry pie in both flavor and appearance may be had by combining cranberries and raisins.

This is an excellent subst.i.tute for cherry pie and may be made at times when fresh cherries cannot be obtained and canned cherries are not in supply.

MOCK CHERRY PIE

2 c. cranberries 3/4 c. sultana raisins 3/4 c. water 1 c. sugar 2 Tb. flour 1 Tb. b.u.t.ter

Wash the cranberries and cut them in half. Wash the raisins and mix them with the cranberries. Add the water and cook until the fruit is soft.

Mix the sugar, flour, and b.u.t.ter and add to the mixture. Cook until the flour thickens, place the mixture in the lower crust, cover with a top crust, and bake in a hot oven until nicely browned.

48. DRIED-FRUIT PIES.--Dried fruits may be used very successfully for pies if they are properly prepared. At any time that it is impossible to obtain fresh fruits and no fruits have been canned for pie making, dried fruits will prove to be very satisfactory. Dried apples, apricots, peaches, prunes, and raisins make delicious pies. With the exception of raisins, for which a special recipe is given, the same directions may be used for any of the pies made with dried fruits.

Look the fruit over carefully, wash, and put in sufficient warm water to cover. Soak overnight. Put to cook in the water in which the fruit has been soaked and simmer slowly until tender. Sweeten to taste. The filling is then ready for a pie. Fill the lower crust with the stewed fruit, add about 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, unless a large quant.i.ty of juice is used, when more flour will be necessary, cover with a top crust, and bake in a hot oven.

49. RAISIN PIE.--Pie in which raisins are used for the filling is one that may be made at any season of the year and that finds favor with most persons. In pie of this kind, spices are used to add flavor.

RAISIN PIE

1-1/2 c. raisins 2 c. water 1/2 c. sugar 4 Tb. flour 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. cloves 1/4 tsp. salt

Clean the raisins and soak them overnight in the water. Put to cook in the same water and simmer gently until tender. Mix the sugar, flour, spices, and salt and add to the raisins. Cook until the mixture is thick, fill the lower crust of a pie, cover with the top crust, and bake in a hot oven.

ONE-CRUST PIES

50. Many varieties of pies are made with only one crust, and these usually prove more attractive than those having two crusts. As a rule, the filling is a custard or a corn-starch mixture, but often fruits of various kinds, as well as pumpkin and squash, are used in the making of pies of this kind. Frequently, meringue is used as a covering for one-crust pies; or, if an especially delicious dessert is desired, a thick layer of stiffly beaten and sweetened whipped cream is often added to the pie just before serving. Again, a partly open pie is sometimes made, this being done by putting strips or pieces of paste over the filling before the pie is baked. Individual pies of this kind are attractive for special occasions and may be made to advantage if small pie pans are in supply.

The crust for one-crust pies is often placed over the back of the pan and baked. It is then removed, filled with the desired filling, and returned to the oven to complete the baking. Whether the lower crust should not be baked or should be partly or entirely baked before the filling is put into it depends on the character of the filling and the degree of temperature required to cook it.

51. MERINGUE FOR ONE-CRUST PIES.--Since meringue is often used as a garnish for one-crust pies, the housewife should understand its nature and the proper procedure in its making. When it is correctly made and properly baked, it is very attractive and improves the appearance of the dessert, but failure in these respects is likely to result in a tough, shrunken meringue, which had better be omitted, as it detracts from the appearance of the pie and is not agreeable to the taste.

If an attractive, appetizing meringue is to be the result, the eggs that are used must be in good condition and very cold; also, they must be properly beaten so that there will be no loss of air in manipulating the whites when they are placed on top of the pie mixture. The baking is important, too, both the length of time the meringue remains in the oven and the temperature to which it is subjected having a direct bearing on the finished meringue.