The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-10-26
Pumpkin Pies.

We generally have them made Of squash, at
our house, hut always call them pumpkin; it
sounds 50 much better. squash is a dreadful
name. and The man who invented il ought to
have had a big Hubbard hurled at his head, Il.
lrhabod Crane was served with pumpkin. i'll
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" But pumpkin
Is altogether 4 different word, whether it
ttiOrnS bill Of fare, is woven into poetry, as
Whittier did il in the charming verses, or is
fiIttened into "pu-n-n-kin." ;ts genial Robert
,olyer does it. Ii is one of the old fashioned
vegetables, that has held its own among upStart
rivals for hundred years. Precious little help
has the pumpkin had from the propagating
gardeners VINO are SO intent on improving nl-
lures productions in othc; fields, The pump
hin is the same honest, homeSpun, se-made
sort OF vegetable Vagab0nd il was when it
struggled through the corn fields, and dotted
The autumn landscape with spots of golden col
or, in The pioneer DAYS when luXuries We're not
necessities, and wants were few. They pretend
To say that the quality has deteriorated. like
some strains of blood in men whose heads
these useful vegetable has most uncharitably
been made to symbolic, and that the flesh is
white and poor compared with what it was in
former wears. Yet this may be merely the
croak of the Old-time Worshippers.
But, whether made ''true to namc,' or of
Sq->h. Il pumpkin pie, if rightly made, is il
thing OF beauty, and ii loN-Whe it lasts. We
know there Is an attempt made by certain su-
per-civiliZed writers-of the sort who order for
IL
chickens wlng"-to make abstinence from pie
test of refinement. Some of them haven't
gastric juice enough to digest anything but a
weak wash OF some sort; but others are just
putting ON airs. We won't trust some of the
fellows who make virtue of abhoring pie,
alone with Il whole one behind the kitchen
door-eyen at eleven O'Clock at night 4 we'll
made pie. of the right sort, is good deal more
wholesome than half of the modern messes con-
cocted as Il concession to dvspeptics who
.l,urfy ha. fII thn
of their own sin and ignorance, in working
without exercise, sleeping too little, and neg
lecting other normal conditions Of right living
But TO return to our pies. As we have said
before, we scorn to make cook book of these
columns, with our present supply of technical
knowledge. But we do know that for a good
pumpkin pie, you want plenty of milk, Just
enough eggs, not too much pumpkin, Il lump
OF butter and judicious springling of spices
principally cinnamon and ginger. The concOc-
ton, when ready for the oven, should be about
the consistency of good thick cream. Pies that
cut out only little less firm than a pine board
those that will ''wabble" without breaking,
like piece Of leather-and those that run
around loose on your knife are alike to be
avoided. About an inch thick strikes us
good depth for the filling; two inches is bet
Ter than the miserable, thin plasters one some
times sees at boarding houses, that look. for all
The world. like pumpkin tiapjacks. The eX-
pressive phrase too thin must have come
from such lean parodieS on pumpkin pies
With the pastry light, tender and not too rich
and a generous filling of smooth, spiced sweet.
ness-a little 'trembIy'' as to consistency, and
delicately Drowned on top-a perfect pumpkin
pie, eaten before the life has gone out of it (say
three hours after baking), is one of the real adj
ditions made by American cookery to the good
things of the world. We have our opinion of
The man who could get up dissatisfied or cross
from dinner topped off with quarter-secton
of such pie.
For the first pumpkin pie of the season.
flanked by liberal cut of creamy cheese and Il
glass of cider fresh from the press, we prefer to
sit down, as the French gourmand said about
his boiled turkey, with just two Of us-mysclf
and the turkey" Company is apt to distract
the attention - and subtract from the pie
Golden Rule.