The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1901-12-21
POINTS ABOUT PUMPKIN PIE.
Should BE Made Right to he
Enjoyed.

Ichabod Crane is not alone in his
fondness for the ''most luxurious of
pies" But, as times and cooks inn
prove, pumpkin pie with the real
old-fashioned, crisp crust and rich
flavor is not often in evidence, says
Sarah p. E. Hawthorne, in Portland
Transcript.
A good pumpkin pie should be half
squash-a solecism worthy of Pat
but, nevertheless, true. 1t should be
rich and. golden in hue with shade
of red. But how to obtain it?
One woman says, "cut your pump
kin in cubes and put in a saucepan
with cupful of nice molasses; place
on the back of the range and let it
cook until soft, but add no water, and
1t will be of the right color and rich-
ness when done. Sift and add two
eggs for each pie, ginger, salt and
nutmeg to taste, milk and sugar until
the mixture is sweet enough and
thick enough for filing. Bake the
crust first and then fill and bake
again.
But eggs are high, and there is yet
another way to make a toothsome pie
that will make a hungry man wish
second and even third piece-if he
doesn't say so.
Men always love pumpkin pies.
Some of our minor poets have sung
its praises, and do not know but
some of our great ones, but the
writer's have always been men.
Stew your pumpkin (half of which
is squash) until tender, drain and
mash with q wooden spoon until soft
and smooth. Pour on it about half
as much milk as it will need, set ON
the range and stir until it scalds. For
IN ordinary milkpan full of pumpkin
ready for the pies, roll to . powder
four or four and one-half cracker.
Stir into the warm pumpkin and
milk; add two cupfuls of granulated
sugar, one teaspoonful of salt, one
teaspoonful of ginger, the same of
cinnamon, and one cupful of mo-
lasses. Stir well, and put it away in
the refrigerator or some cool place
for day or two until the various in
gradients blend, as the artists saw. to-
gethsr. The flavor is much better for
standing awhile after mixing and
kneading quite hard. Don't choose
too thick plates for these pies, nor
too thin-just about medium.
Thenadd milk again to your pumpkin,
stirring until it is about the consist.
ency of thick cream. Bake until
done, and then bake awhile longer.
They will be rich golden brown on.
top. and have a delicate flavor in
which neither spice predominates.
There are pies which seem to have
caught the gold of the sun in which
the gourds ripened, the spicy odor
OF the harvest field in autumn, and
the creamy richness of the prize Jer-
sey's milk; and alas! there are also
pies, poor, watery, tasteless. stringy;
only fit for the dogs. and hardly ac-
ceptable to them. For some years I
made that kind, but after frantic eff
forts to please member of the fam
lily who loves this dainty, and the
sacrifice of dozens of eggs and hours
OF time, / tried using powdered
crackers and letting the filling stand
day or two before using and was
successful. In the fall, il the wealth
er is warm, cook the mixture in the
pan before you put it away. A Sec
ond baking will not hurt it.
Now if you have more pumpkins
han you can use, can them for
spring. They will not come amiss.
You know what Emerson says: II
can reason down or deny anything.
except this perpetual belly; feed he
must and will and cannot make him
respectable" Eat we must and vari-
ETY. is the spice and almost the neces.
sity of life or good health.
As your fruit cans get empty, pare
and cut in dice a pumpkin. Cook it
in water with sugar enough to be
real sweet, and seal up as you would
any fruit. At any time it will be
ready for pies, only requiring less
sweetening
Our foremothers dried the pump
kin in slices, looking like new moons
on poles by the kitchen fire, the
same as dried apples. But this is a
better way: Cook soft, sift on to
nat baking tins, Cry in the oven until
IL is quite hard. Break into bits and
put up in paper bags or jars as you
please. 1t viii keep as long as glue,
which it now resembles.
Soak in warm water or milk until
It comes back to the resemblance Of
pumpkin, and make into pies.
Fault-Finding Helps Nobody.
Conf1,rno1v ha1oo no1&~Av. loo~< -