The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-03-01
HOUSEHOLD.

Miss JULIET CoRsoN on PIEs.-In my
frequent wanderings across the country in
the interest OF ideal cookery no one thing
has made me so long for the manly ability
aad privilege to use an occasional emphatic
cnss word IS pie. The pie of hotels, the pie
Of railway restaurants on lines too little
mindful Of travelecs' comfort to provide no.
tel cars, or, whers hotel cars exist, good
cooks % reign over their comllissariat. But,
though SUCH experiences incline me to raid
against special pies, now and then. I too
| 6rmly believe in the survival OF the fitsst
20 20 back utterly on pic ia general. A little
relative condemnation may do IL no harm,
and may advance the csuse of wholesome
pudding; and the sound reason romans
LhSt all pies are more or less iadiges.ibie
| because the starchY particles Of their crust
are so enyeloped in fat that the gastric
juics cannot affect them. and all the labsr
of their digestion falls upon organs intended
to perform only part OF that operation in
the economy of nature. Those layers of
starch, so protected from the action of the
saliva, also escape the grinding motion
Of the teeth; hence, soft crumb-
ling pastry is the most diges.ible.
To make decent pies for ordinary use-mere
! every day pies-s matter not so difficult
ii only few principles be borne in mind.
A cool room, smooth pastry board, light
touch in mixing, def hsnd in rolling, fold
ing, and fitting che crust to receive its con-
tents-these are requisite snd not beyond
attainment with ordinary cooks. The cool
place is the most difficult TO find In summer
Next to the cool place in importance is the
pastry board, which must be smooth and
hard, and thick enough to remain cool even
in a warm room; The device may be resOrted
10 Of setting it on large baking pan flle1
with ice 20 lower its temperature. Cold
water must be used to wet the paste, or cold
buJtermilk or sour milk, with the addition
OF g little soda TO counteract aciaisy.
| Unless puf-paste is being made, the quick
90 the process the better will be the results;
i the hands do not touch the pastry at all
until the rolling out of the upper and under
crusts-that is il the mixing of the pastry is
accomplished by chopping together the
| -four, wAter. and shOrtening--it viii be light
and haky; the rolling must be as rapid ss
possible, TO avoid heating the Ia. and melt
Jag il among the -four, a. this will make the
pastry soggy. The point must be rsmem.
bered of keeping it as cool "a possible until
it is placed in the oven; the sudden transi-
ton from cold 70 Intense heat prevents the
gradual diffusion Of the fat through lis
substance. while the expansion caused BY
the transformation OF its moisture into steam
forces apart the layers Of the pastry and So
/ lightens it; the oven must be hot enough to
SGT the pastry at this stage, even if the
door is left sjar TO temper the heat; the pas.
try will not fall if we'll made, unless it is ex-
posed 20 a direct current of cold air Even
after delicate pastry is baked It will fail If
suddenly exposed to a cold draught; all
pastry IS much lighter if allowed to cool
bv degrees, in the oven with the door
open, or, il the oven is needed for con-
tinuous use, near enough the stove 20 be
surrounded by warm atmosphere. Pastry
thus cooled is more tender and crisp than
that which is treated in any other way. 10
make nice plain pie-crust, use half as much
butter as -four, and sufficient very cold
water to make a very stiff dough; if the
tutter is salt wash it through several cold
waters, pat it dry in a clean towel, dust il
with -four and put in a cold place until the
psstry-board is prepared and the flour is
sifted; then with a sharp knife chop ha.f the
butter into the -four, wet it with cold water
to stiff dough, roll this out to the thickness
of half an inch, dot 1T over with bits of but
ter, using about tablespoonful, fold it oncC
and roll it out; cut of enough for the bot
tom crust, roll the remainder halt an inch
thick, dot it with butter, and fold and roll
l.; repeat this process rapidly until all the
butter is used; use this pastry for the cover
work SIS rapidly as possible in the coolest
place you can command, and bake
the pies in no. oven, follow
ing the directions already given
The French method of making puff paste.
which seldom fails to produce good results
is that practiced in nv cooking. school; it is
as follows, and if the process is carefully &C
complished any person working lightly and
J, quickly can make excellent pastry: Some
ice, a smooth roller, and a stone slab OF
thick wooden pastry-board are required, in
addition to the usual ingredients. Wet the
slab with ice water, lay pound of butter
on it. and work it smooth with the hand:
wet in ice water; this expels both salt and
any butter-milk remaining IN it; reserve
about a teaspoonful; wrap the rest in 8
Toured napkin, lay 1t on plate aud set it il
she ice box. Dry the slab. sift on it q pound
Of -four, reserving. little to dust the board
with; in the middle of the -four put thS
small piece of butter, the yolk Of an egg
and the piece Of lemon, if it is available
mix the butter, egg and lemon juice to .
cream with the fingers of the right hand
then gradually mix in the flour and
ice water using about q pint Of water
or enough to make stiff dough; work thi:
dough until it does not stick to the hands OF
pastry-slab, then roll it out an inch thick; i
the weather is warm, wrap it in q Toured
cloth, lay it on 6 plate. and set it in the ice.
box for Ave or ten minutes to cool; next lay
it on the pastry-slab, put the large piece Of
butter in its center, fold it around the butter
so as to completely envelop it, and then roll