Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-12-04

TTE pastry made by any method
should be handled with light,
deft touch. never kneaded. Flour
j the board sparingly, using only
enough -four to prevent the
pastry from sticking. Roll the dough
with forward motion to one-eighth
of an inch in thickness. Shape the
dough a little larger than the pie plate
TO be used to avoid stretching to make
It fit snugly in the bottom and sides
of the plate II only a pie shell is
desired, prick the pastry with a fork
to give freedom TO the imprisoned air
between the crust and the plate. When
this precaution is overlooked the pie
shell has a puffy, blistered appearance
II the pie is TO have top crust. cut
several Sits in 1t before it is TO be re-
moved from the board in order to
provide a means Of escape for the
steam.
Dampen the edges Of the lower crust
with cold water, place the upper crust
over the filling, pressing the edges
firmly together with a fork, then trim
both crusts at the same time. Brush
the top crust with milk and the pie
will be g rich golden brown. A double
crust pie is often improved II the top
crust Is enriched by the addition of
one or two tablespoonfuls Of shortening
Spread the shortening over half of the
sheet Of dough for the top crust, fold
over and roll again.
When making pie pastry, do not mix
the fat too thoroughly into the -four,
for the coarser the mixture the more
f1aky will be the crust, Fat cut into
cubes from one-haf to three quarters
Of an inch in size Is about right
To make a fiaky pastry. blend only
half Of the shortening with the flour
mixture, reserving the remaining short
ening to combine with the dough as it
is rolled Roll the dough to one fourth
inch in thickness and in the shape of
rectsngle. Spread half of the re-
served shortening over half of the
dough, not too near the edges. Fold
the upper half Of the dough over the
lower half, covering the shortening
Roll to the desired thickness again and
repeat the process, using the remain
ing half Of the shortening. To make
a richer crust, use two or three extra
tablespoonfuls of shortening and repeat
the process q third time It is very
necessary that this pastry should be
chilled before using, and even an all
night stay in the refrigerator is not too
long If the dough is first wrapped in oil
paper.
Hot-Water Process.
Another method of mixing pastry IS
by the hot-water process, which is Just
the opposite of the above method This
crust is not flaky, but is crunbly and
delicate enough for many purposes. To
mix it, use the same proportions as for
ordinary pie crust, and heat the water
TO the boiling point. Pour it over the
shortening and beat until smooth and
creamy, then add the flour mixture
Chill the dough before rolling.
All pie pastry should be baked at a
high temperature. An oven hot enough
for biscuits is the right heat for a
double-crust pie, such as apple pie, and
It should remain in the oven for 40
minutes, the heat being lowered the last
10 minutes in order that the crust may
be crisp, then decreaed In temperature
to medium for 80 minutes Custards
cooked below the boiling point are
smooth in consistency and uncurdled.
1t is a prolonged high temperature that
many times ruins an otherwise perfect
custsrd, but hot oven is necessary for
the first few minutes, so that the pastry
will bake before it sbsorbs any Of the
filling, thereby preventing a soggy
crust. A pumpkin or squash pie should
be baked in the same way as custard
PIE A pastry shell needs the hottest
oven. In IL minutes u SHOULD DC CRISP
and a delicate brown. Cool the filling
before pouring it into the pie shell.
To prevent soaking Of the under
crust in pies that must stand for day
or two before being eaten, white of egg
may be brushed over the bottom crust
before the filling is added. When the
egg is heated in baking it forms glaze
over the crust. A thin layer of finely
sifted toast crumbs serves the same pur-
pose without detracting from the flavor
of the pie.
If a housewife has q few reliable
recipes for pie filings and learns to use
them successfully, then she may de-
velOp from them almost any variation
o. pie that is desired. There are a
number of filings for pie shells that
a housewife may make when convenient
and seal in a fruit jar. Fill the jar full
TO running over, then seal with cover
and ring. If kept in a cool place, these
filings will be ready to be placed in a
pie shell at a minutes notice, and with
q meringue added they are as attractive
anC delicious as when freshly made
Such filings as lemon, cream, orange or
butterscotch may be prepared before
hand In this way.
Meringue for Pie.-Beat the whites Of