Evening star., 1936-08-05
Practical Hints Pastry Making for the Novice the
Kneading Methods and
Difference in Doughs
Important to Learn
Pre-Cooking Bottom Crust Is Best Way to
Keep Fruit Pies From Becom-
Cooox,
ing SOggy.

the English call a tart-their famous
plum tart Is made this way.
For tarts American style and in
dividual size the shells are most con-
veniently made on muffin tins turned
upside down. Roll the pastry thin and
shape 1t over the tins folding and
pressing back the edge Of dough
around the top to strengthen it and
prevent breaking when the shell is re-
moved from the tin after baking. Bake
in moderately hot oven (400 degrees
Fahrenheit) for about 10 minutes, or
until the crust is delicately Drowned.
Fill the tart shells with fruit-fresh,
crushed, sliced or canned fruit or jam.
"TWo-CRUST PIES.
Fruit pies, unlike tarts, are usually
two-crust or covered pies. And as most
of the favorite pie fruits are very
juicy, the bottom crust may easily get
soggy while the pie is baking. Here IS
a problem not encountered either in
the deep-dish pies, which have no
bottom crust, or in the tarts, for which
the shell is baked before the fruit
goes in.
ITO prevent SoggineSs in the bottom
crust of fruit pie, there are two ways
to proceed. The old-faShioned way,
and still the most common way, per-
hapS, is to line the pie pan with pastry.
put in the filling, put on the cover of
dough, and bake for 10 minutes in an
oven hot enough (about 400 degrees
FahrenheiD to partially cook the bot
tom crust before the juice SoakS into
1t. Then lower the oven to mod
crate heat tabout $50 degrees Fab
renheiD and leave the pie to brown
nicely and the fruit inside to cook.
This may take another 80 to IS min
utes at the lower temperature.
"Other piemakers advise baking the
bottom shell before putting in the
filling, just as for tartS, and then
thickening the fruit juice before put
ting it into the shell. This applies
TO juicy fruits only, not to apples, for
example) Do not brown the shell.
Have it just lightly baked and crisp.
Then heat the fruit little to make
the juice flow and strain OF the juice.
Add to the juice ever so little corn
starch, flour O. tapioca, well mixed
with sugar, cooking until the mixture
thickens, then stir in the fruit itself.
Put this filling into the baked pastry
shell. moisten the rim, cover with the
top layer Of dough, which is little
larger than the under crust and is
slaShed little or pricked with fork
to make openings for steam to escape
as the pie cooks. Press the edges of
the dough together and turn the edge
of the larger, upper one under the
other.
Bake the pie in a moderately hot
oven 1915 to 400 degrees FahrenheiU
not so hot as if crusts and filling were
all to cook at once, starting cold. The
filling in this case Is already hot and
the bottom crust is already partly
baked. Besides, a hot oven would
make the fruit boil and spoil the
looks of the pie. So the temperature
must be only moderately hot and
carefully controlled.
"SHORTCAKES.
oiiOI tSdhCo dLC IyPlCdAly HidOC VI
biscuit dough with more than the
usual amount of fat. E., one-half
cup of fat Gnstead of 4 to table
spoons) to cups of -four, teaspoons
of baking powder, teaspoon of salt,
usually a little sweetening and milk
enough to make a soft dough (about
/ cup of milk. For two-layer short
cake, roll the dough to one-fourth
inch thickness and bake one layer on
top of the other. first buttering the
lower layer so they will split apart
easily. Spread the fruit-sweetened
and crushed or sliced-over the bot
tom layer and also over the top.
Whipped cream makes a nice finish.
For individual shortcakes. make
the dough into large biscuits and
bake to a delicate brown. Break each
biscuit open while hot, butter it, fill
with fruit and spread fruit also over
the top. Serve hot and preferably
with finish of whipped cream. Drop
biscuits also make attractive fruit
shortcakes."