Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-05-21

'itdtt tIt common complaint, indigestion.
In this age of specialties, however even
pie-making has been reduced to a science;
and in such establishments as We have
mentioned, the work is intrusted to eX-
peflS only; consequently the factory pie
II 1t be constructed according to these
scientific principles and only good and
wholesome materials used, is less danger
Gus to the health of the consumer than Il
homemade article, greasy, sodden and
pale.
Homemade Pie.
There is no reason why the home cook
should not excel the manufa cturer and
there are certain kinds of pies that the
1astldlous eater, as well as he who regards
htdlth as paramount to mere eating, will
Wisely insist on having made at home or
forego the pleasure of eating them.
mere Is IN the minds of most Americans,
whatever their sentiments regarding the
eating of pastry in general, a weakness
for at least one kind of pie. Doubtless the
greatest favorite is the fresh cherry pie
such as mother used to make particularly
IL that blessed mother lived in the coun-
try where the fruit grew luscious and pIen-
tiful.
Wholesome Pie.
To many this name will seem a mis-
homer, and We admit that there Is reason
for skeptlcism in many cases; but why
condemn pie without a hearing. more than
the white potato, the steak?-in fact any
oliVi Ioou tHdC IS commonly ana
daily consumed? Any one of these may
be. by bad cooking made as unwhole-
some 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 digestible materials if fruits enter
into the combination the gastric juices
have an ally that will assist in disposing
of the unwelcome visitor. All foods COM
posed of inferior and badly cooked mate
rails are a menace to health, whether it
be pie OF potatoes; 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 mid
day lunch. it must be made of wholesome
materials and with due regard to it's diges-
tibity.
Do not make the mistake of considering
a pie crust made with too little shortening
as healthier than crust that is light ten
der and fiaky; for the crust that is tough
and heavy must be hurtful.
What Materials to Use.
The secret of good pie crust, tender, fiaky
and digestible, is simple that it is no
secret at all, but depends on materials
selected as much their putting together
and baking. Flour and shortening being
the two principal factors, they must be Of
the best we do not mean that they must
necessarily be expensive, but the best
adapted for the purpose. You cannot Use
any -four, or one you select specially
recommended for bread making only, and
expect to have tender. flaky crust: ncith-
er you animal fats and expect to
have a perfectly dgestible pastry. But you
are not obliged to purchase flour and
shortening for the especial purpose of max
ing pastry, for If you make wise selection
you can obtain both these materials so pre-
pared as to be suitable for general cook
ing 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 flour should be thoroughly sifted be-
fore measuring and then sfted again with
the salt. A small quantity of baking pow
der is sometimes used. principally in what
are called raised crusts, for meat pies and
in a plain pie crust when 1t must be made
as quickly possible and sufficient time
cannot be given to roll and fold the paste.
The shortening and the water must be as
cold possible and the mixing done with a
spatula or flexible knife: the hands must
never be used In summer time, use the
coolest place in the house for making your
pies not only to insure success in the
work. but GOODNESS for yourself.
If possible, let all paste stand in cool
place for several hours after it is made,
and if closely covered it will be greatly i'm
proved by keeping II in the refrigerator for
several days This is a great saving of
time for the busy housewife she can
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 after being made and not al
lowed 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 flour, and
when the paste is mixed, cutting 1t into
equal parts, rolling out, spreading with the
remainder of the shortening over each
piece. dredging with flour. then laying one
piece of paste on top of the other and roll
ing out from you to thin sheet, folding
in the sides and ends and rolling again. 1t
is the folding and rolling lightly which
gives the fiakiness to the crust and makes
it more digestible.
Filling the Crusts.
AS you put the paste in the pie 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 filling the bottom crust brush
with the white of egg and sprinkle with a
little flour and sugar. For fresh fruit pies
dredge the top of the fruit with -four after
adding sugar. This will prevent the lower
crust from being soggy and the juices from
running out.
Do not grease pie plates. This has ten
dency to make the crust heavy and soggy
and there Is no necessity for greasing a pie
plate If the crust Is properly made; they
may be busted with -four or very fine bread
crumbs to prevent the crust from sticking