The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-05-22

Doubtless the greatest favorite is the
fresh cherry pie, such as mother used to
make; particularly if that blessed moth
er lived in the country where the fruit
grew luscious and plentiful.
WHOLESOME PIE
To many this term will seem a mis-
homer, and we admit that there is rea-
son for sl1epticism in many cases; but
why condemn pie without a hearing.
In fact any other food article that is
commonly and daily consumed. Any
one of these may be, by bad cooking,
made as unwholesome and hurtful to
good digestion as the tabooed pie. Even
more so in fact: for though the pie
crust may be made of not too digesti-
bic materials, if fruit enter into the
combination, the gastric juices have
an ally that viii assist in disDOsing of
the unWelcome visitor. All foods com
posed of inferior and badly cooked ma
terials are a menace to health, whether
it be pie or potatoes; so whether you
regard pie in the light of a luxury and
only for an occasional indulgence, or
consider it a convenient and satisfying
food for a midday lunch. it must be
made of wholesome materials and with
due regard to it's digestibility-
Do not make the mistake Of consider
ing a pie crust made with too little
shortening as healthier than a crust
crust that is tough and heavy must be
hurtful.
WHAT MATERIALS TO USE
The secret of good pie crust. tender,
f1alxy and digestible. is so simple that 1t
is no secret at all, but depends on matt
rails selected as much as their putting
together and baking. Flour and short
ening being the two principal factors,
they must be of the best; We do not
mean that they must necessarily be ex-
tod FOR 10
purpose. You cannot use any flour" or
one you select as special recommended
for bread-making only, and expect to
have a tender, haky crust; neither can
you use animal fats and expect to have
a perfectly digestible pastry. But you
are not obliged to purchase a -four and
shortening for the especial purpose of
making pastry, for if you make a wise
selection you can obtain both these ma
terials so prepared as to be suitable
for general cooking and baking; and
while having the best, because the most
wholesome, you have, at the same time
the most economical, an obvious fact to
all housewives who know anything Of
the nature of the various food products
on the market.
PUTTING THE MATERIALS
TOGETHER.
The -four should be thoroughly sifted
before measuring and then sifted
again with the salt. A small quantity
principally in what are called raised
crusts. for meat pies and in a plain pie
crust when it must be made as quickly
as possible and sufficient time cannot be
given to roll and fold the paste. The
shortening and the water must be as
cold as possible and the mixing done
with a sDatula or flexible knife; the
hands must never be used. In summer
tine. use the coolest place in the house
for making your pies not only to in
sure success in the work. but GOODNESS
for yourself.
If possible, let all paste stand in a
cool place for several hours after it is
made, and if closely covered it will be
greatly improved by keeping it in the
refrigerator for several days. This is
great saving of time for the busy house
wife. as she can make I'D sufficient
quantity when time will allow, to last
for several days. and in warm weather
when fresh fruit pies are possible, they
should be eaten in a very short time af-
ter being made and not allowed to stand
until the juices soak into the crust. In
making even the plainest crust, you will
obtain better results by mixing part of
the shortening in the -four and when the
paste is mixed, cutting it into equal
parts, rolling out spreading with the
remainder of the shortening over each
place, dredging with flour, then laying
one piece of paste on top of the other
anG rolling out from you to a thin sheet,
folding in the sides and ENDS ana roll
ing again It is the folding and rolling
lightly which gives the fiakiness to the
crust and makes it more digestible-
The paste must be soft enough to roll
out without much pressure or you VIII
press out the air embodied in the layers
FILLING THE CRUSTS.
AS you put the paste in the pic plates
set them in a cool place until ready to
fill but DO not let them stand with the
filling in them before going into the oven
unless you wish to have a Sodden crust
Before filing the bottom crust brush
with the white of eggs and sprinkle with
a little bit of -four and sugar For fresh
fruit pies, dredge the top of the fruit with
-four after adding sugar This will pre-
vent the lower crust from being Soggy
and the juices from running out
Do not grease pie plates. This has a
tendency to make the crust heavy and
soggy. and there is no necessity for
greasing a pie plate if the crust is prop
erly made they may be busted with
flour or very fine bread crumbs to pre-
vent the crust from sticking if the plates
are not smooth
The oven heat for pies must be kept
Test it before the pies go IN by holding
your hand in the oven while you count
20 rather slowly. The filling in your
pies must of course, be taken into con-
sideration, some fruits require more
time than others for cooking. The oven
must not be too hot for very juicy fruits
as the rapid boiling of the juices will
cause them to run out If they can posi-
bly, escape