The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1933-09-07

Lie hue art VI pastry mahihB
is succlnctly set forth In the following
article. by an acknowledged expert:
The other day woman said to
me: II just can't make pastry
can make good cake. but just can't
make a decent pie!" "Well," l an
swered her, II can guarantee to teach
you to make pastry. In ten minutes,
at the most She took me up on my
offer. We left the bridge table for
the kitchen and within ten minutes
the pastry was chilling In the re-
frigerator.
You know pastry really is one of
the easiest things In the world to
make There Is only one point which
Is very important, and that Is not to
get 1t too wet when you mix 1t. Per-
haps | had better begin at the be-
ginning, however. and tell you Just
exactly how | do 1t. | use three
!. times as much flour as | have short
ening. ! prefer bread flour. myself,
for pastry because 1t Is easier to
handle, but can make 1t with pas
try or cake -four II | do use this
kind of flour | use four times as
much flour as shortening. | mix my
-four and salt together In wooden
chopplng bowl, add my chilled short
enIng and. with double-bladed
chopping knife. / cut the fat into
small pieces, at the same time, of
course. mixing 1t Into the flour. Some
people can mix pastry satisfactorily
with the hands, but my hands are
too warm. The fat should be actual
ly In small bits throughout the flour.
not thoroughly blended into smooth
mixture. Fat need not be cut as fine
for pastry as for biscuits. II you pre-
fer to use q wooden bowl you may
use two knives or a fork or 4 wire
whlsk to cut In the fat. After you
have cut for few moments shake
the bowl and the larger pieces OF fat
will come to the top and you can
tell when 1t Is thoroughly mixed.
Now you are ready to add the wa
ter, which should be cold. In warm
weather Ice water Is preferable.
Make hole at one side OF the flour,
add one tablespoon OF water and
with a stiff knife stir In rs much of
the -four mixture as the water will
take up. Do the same thing two or
three other places In the flour mix
ture and then with your hands press
the balls OF dough and the dry mix
ture left In the bowl together Into a
smooth ball. Put In the refrigerator
to chill few minutes. Then roll out
to line your pastry pan. Pastry may
be rolled on slightly Toured board
or directly on a metal table top. Roll
from the center each way. Roll light
1y and pick up your sheet Of pastry
after each rolling, to prevent stick
Ing.
When / make fruit pies mix a
tablespoon OF sugar with a table
spoon OF -four and sprinkle over the
bottom of the lined pan. / then put
In my fruit and sugar In layers,
dampen the edge OF the lower crust,
put the other crust on top. press the
crusts together and cut them evenly
with scissors II you like you may
bind the edge with a thin strip of
pastry or you may leave the lower
crust quarter inch larger than the
upper crust and turn Ii back on top
OF the upper crust. Press the edges
together tightly with your fingers or
the prongs OF fork. Be sure to cut
Sits In the top of the pie to let the
steam out and thus prevent the strip
from making Its way out at the
edges.
like to bake pastry shell on the
outside OF pie pan. as 1t keeps a
better shape. After the pastry has
been trimmed around the edge with
sharp knife it should be pricked
all over with fork to prevent crack
Ing during the baking. Pastry should
have hot oven. but after ten min
utes the heat should be lowered for
fruit or custard pie. Fresh fruit
pies and tarts are very popular just
now. Pastry shells are filled with the
sliced fresh fruit or with berries
which are then covered with whipped
cream or with glaze" Sometimes
pie shells are filled with a custard
filling and fresh fruit Is beaten In
the whipped cream which Is used to
cover the custard. "
Quick Meal.
Lamb chops.
Boiled sweet potatoes with brown
butter.
Corn on the cob.
Lettuce and tomato salad.
Peach tarts. Coffee.
Here is quick meal for that cool
night which comes upon us once In
a while at this season, and even for
hot night 1t does not take a large
amount of time In a hot kitchen.
Sweet potatoes, as you know, boil
more quickly than white potatoes and
need only to be scraped before they
are put In the boiling salted water.
When they are cooked peel of the
skins ard dress them with brown
~