Michigan steamers many years ago, and it is, without exception, the
finest puff paste I have ever seen.
PUFF PASTE FOR PIES.
One quart of pastry flour, one pint of butter, one tablespoonful of
salt, one of sugar, one and a quarter cupfuls of ice-water. Wash the
hands with soap and water and dip them first in very hot and then in
cold water. Rinse a large bowl or pan with boiling water and then with
cold. Half fill it with cold water. Wash the butter in this, working
it with the hands until it is light and waxy. This frees it from the
salt and buttermilk and lightens it, so that the pastry is more
delicate. Shape the butter into two thin cakes and put in a pan of
ice-water to harden. Mix the salt and sugar with the flour. With the
hands, rub one-third of the butter into the flour. Add the water,
stirring with a knife. Stir quickly and vigorously until the paste is
a smooth ball. Sprinkle the board _lightly_ with flour. Turn the paste
on this and pound quickly and lightly with the rolling-pin. Do not
break the paste. Roll from you and to one side; or if easier to roll
from you all the time, turn the paste around. When it is about
one-fourth of an inch thick, wipe the remaining butter, break it in
bits and spread these on the paste. Sprinkle lightly with flour. Fold
the paste, one-third from each side, so that the edges meet. Now fold
from the ends, but do not have these meet. Double the paste, pound
lightly and roll down to about one-third of an inch in thickness. Fold
as before and roll down again. Repeat this three times if for pies and
six times if for _vol-au-vents_, patties, tarts, etc. Place on the ice
to harden, when it has been rolled the last time. It should be in the
ice chest at least an hour before being used. In hot weather, if the
paste sticks when being rolled down, put it on a tin sheet and place
on ice. As soon as it is chilled, it will roll easily. The less flour
you use in rolling out the paste, the tenderer it will be. No matter
how carefully every part of the work may be done, the paste will not
be good if much flour is used.
_Maria Parloa_.
SOYER'S RECIPE FOR PUFF PASTE.
To every pound of flour allow the yolk of one egg, the juice of one
lemon, half a saltspoonful of salt, cold water, one pound of fresh
butter.
Put the flour onto the paste-board; make a hole in the centre, into
which put the yolk of the egg, the lemon juice and salt; mix the whole
with cold water (this should be iced in summer if convenient) into a
soft, flexible paste with the right hand, and handle it as little as
possible; then squeeze all the buttermilk from the butter, wring it in
a cloth and roll out the paste; place the butter on this and fold the
edges of the paste over, so as to hide it; roll it out again to the
thickness of a quarter of an inch; fold over one-third, over which
again pass the rolling-pin; then fold over the other third, thus
forming a square; place it with the ends, top and bottom before you,
shaking a little flour both under and over, and repeat the rolls and
turns twice again as before. Flour a baking-sheet, put the paste on
this and let it remain on ice or in some cool place for half an hour;
then roll twice more, turning it as before; place it again upon the
ice for a quarter of an hour, give it two more rolls, making seven in
all, and it is ready for use when required.
RULE FOR UNDER CRUST.
A good rule for pie crust for a pie requiring only an under crust, as
a custard or pumpkin pie, is: Three _large_ tablespoonfuls of flour
sifted, rubbing into it a _large_ tablespoonful of cold butter, or
part butter and part lard, and a pinch of salt, mixing with _cold_
water enough to form a smooth, stiff paste, and rolled quite thin.
PLAIN PIE CRUST.
Two and a half cupfuls of sifted flour, one cupful of shortening, half
butter and half lard cold, a pinch of salt, a heaping teaspoonful of
baking powder sifted through the flour. Rub thoroughly the shortening
into the flour. Mix together with half a teacupful of _cold_ water, or
enough to form a rather stiff dough; mix as little as possible, just
enough to get it into shape to roll out; it must be handled very
lightly. This rule is for two pies.
When you have a little pie crust left do not throw it away; roll it
thin, cut in small squares and bake. Just before tea put a spoonful of
raspberry jelly on each square.
PUFF PASTE OF SUET.
Two cupfuls of flour, one-half teaspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of
baking powder, one cup of chopped suet, freed of skin, and chopped
very fine, one cupful of water. Place the flour, sifted with the
powder in a bowl, add suet and water; mix into smooth, rather firm
dough.
This paste is excellent for fruit puddings and dumplings that are
boiled; if it is well made, it will be light and flaky and the suet
impreceptible. It is also excellent for meat pies, baked or boiled.
All the ingredients should be very cold when mixing, and the suet
dredged with flour after it is chopped, to prevent the particles from
adhering to each other.
POTATO CRUST.
Boil and mash a dozen medium-sized potatoes, add one good teaspoonful
of salt, two tablespoonfuls of cold butter and half a cupful of milk
or cream. Stiffen with flour sufficient to roll out. Nice for the tops
of meat pies.
TO MAKE PIE CRUST FLAKY.
In making a pie, after you have rolled out your top crust, cut it
about the right size, spread it over with butter, then shake sifted
flour over the butter, enough to cover it well. Cut a slit in the
middle place it over the top of your pie, and fasten the edges as any
pie. Now take the pie on your left hand and a dipper of cold water in
your right hand; tip the pie slanting a little, pour over the water
sufficiently to rinse off the flour. Enough flour will stick to the
butter to fry into the crust, to give it a fine, blistered, flaky
look, which many cooks think is much better than rolling the butter
into the crust.
TARTLETS. No. 1.
Tarts of strawberry or any other kind of preserves are generally made
of the trimmings of puff paste rolled a little thicker than the
ordinary pies; then cut out with a round cutter, first dipped in hot
water, to make the edges smooth, and placed in small tart-pans, first
pricking a few holes at the bottom with a fork before placing them in
the oven. Bake from ten to fifteen minutes. Let the paste cool a
little; then fill it with preserve. By this manner, both the flavor
and color of the jam are preserved, which would be lost were it baked
in the oven on the paste; and, besides, so much jam is not required.
TARTLETS. No. 2.
Tartlets are nice made in this manner: Roll some good puff paste out
thin, and cut it into two and a half inch squares; brush each square
over with the white of an egg, then fold down the corners, so that
they all meet in the middle of each piece of paste; slightly press the
two pieces together, brush them over with the egg, sift over sugar and
bake in a nice quick oven for about a quarter of an hour. When they
are done, make a little hole in the middle of the paste and fill it up
with apricot jam, marmalade, or red currant jelly. Pile them high in
the centre of a dish on a napkin and garnish with the same preserves
the tartlets are filled with.
PATTIES, OR SHELLS FOR TARTS.
Roll out a nice puff paste thin; cut out with a glass or cookie-cutter
and with a wine-glass or smaller cutter, cut out the centre of two out
of three; lay the rings thus made on the third, and bake at once. May
be used for veal or oyster patties, or filled with jelly, jam or
preserves, as tarts. Or shells may be made by lining patty-pans with
paste. If the paste is light, the shells will be fine. Filled with
jelly and covered with meringue (tablespoonful of sugar to the white
of one egg) and browned in oven, they are very nice to serve for tea.
If the cutters are dipped in _hot water_, the edges of the tartlets
will rise much higher and smoother when baking.
TARTS.
Larger pans are required for tarts proper, the size of small, shallow
pie-tins; then after the paste is baked and cooled and filled with the
jam or preserve, a few stars or leaves are placed on the top, or
strips of paste, criss-crossed on the top, all of which have been
previously baked on a tin by themselves.
Dried fruit, stewed until thick, makes fine tart pies, also
cranberries stewed and well sweetened.
GREEN APPLE PIE.
Peel, core and slice tart apples enough for a pie; sprinkle over about
three tablespoonfuls of sugar, a teaspoonful of cinnamon, a small
level tablespoonful of sifted flour, two tablespoonfuls of water, a
few bits of butter, stir all together with a spoon; put it into a
pie-tin lined with pie paste; cover with a top crust and bake about
forty minutes.
The result will be a delicious, juicy pie.
APPLE CUSTARD PIE. No. 1.
Three cupfuls of milk, four eggs and one cupful of sugar, two cupfuls
of thick stewed apples, strained through a colander. Beat the whites
and yolks of the eggs lightly and mix the yolks well with the apples,
flavoring with nutmeg. Then beat into this the milk and, lastly, the
whites. Let the crust partly bake before turning in this filling. To
be baked with only the one crust, like all custard pies.
APPLE CUSTARD PIE. No. 2.
Select fair sweet apples, pare and grate them, and to every teacupful
of the apple add two eggs well beaten, two tablespoonfuls of fine
sugar, one of melted butter, the grated rind and half the juice of one
lemon, half a wine-glass of brandy and one teacupful of milk; mix all
well and pour into a deep plate lined with paste; put a strip of the
paste around the edge of the dish and bake thirty minutes.
APPLE CUSTARD PIE. No. 3.
Lay a crust in your plates; slice apples thin and half fill your
plates; pour over them a custard made of four eggs and one quart of
milk, sweetened and seasoned to your taste.
APPLE CUSTARD PIE. No. 4.
Peel sour apples and stew until soft, and not much water left in them;
then rub through a colander; beat three eggs for each pie to be baked
and put in at the rate of one cupful of butter and one of sugar for
three pies; season with nutmeg.
IRISH APPLE PIE.
Pare and take out the cores of the apples, cutting each apple into
four or eight pieces, according to their size. Lay them neatly in a
baking dish, seasoning them with brown sugar and any spice, such as
pounded cloves and cinnamon, or grated lemon peel. A little quince
marmalade gives a fine flavor to the pie. Add a little water and cover
with puff paste. Bake for an hour.
MOCK APPLE PIE.
Crush finely with a rolling pin, one large Boston cracker; put it into
a bowl and pour upon it one teacupful of cold water; add one teacupful
of fine white sugar, the juice and pulp of one lemon, half a lemon
rind grated and a little nutmeg; line the pie-plate with half puff
paste, pour in the mixture, cover with the paste and bake half an
hour.
These are proportions for one pie.
APPLE AND PEACH MERINGUE PIE.
Stew the apples or peaches and sweeten to taste. Mash smooth and
season with nutmeg. Fill the crusts and bake until just done. Put on
no top crust. Take the whites of three eggs for each pie and whip to a
stiff froth, and sweeten with three tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar.
Flavor with rose-water or vanilla; beat until it will stand alone;
then spread it on the pie one-half to one inch thick; set it back into
the oven until the meringue is well "set." Eat cold.
COCOANUT PIE. No. 1.
One-half cup desiccated cocoanut soaked in one cupful of milk, two
eggs, one small cupful of sugar, butter the size of an egg. This is
for one small-sized pie. Nice with a meringue on top.
COCOANUT PIE. No. 2.
Cut off the brown part of the cocoanut, grate the white part, mix it
with milk and set it on the fire and let it boil slowly eight or ten
minutes. To a pound of the grated cocoanut, allow a quart of milk,
eight eggs, four tablespoonfuls of sifted white sugar, a glass of
wine, a small cracker, pounded fine, two spoonfuls of melted butter
and half a nutmeg. The eggs and sugar should be beaten together to a
froth, then the wine stirred in. Put them into the milk and cocoanut,
which should be first allowed to get quite cool; add the cracker and
nutmeg, turn the whole into deep pie plates, with a lining and rim of
puff paste. Bake them as soon as turned into the plates.
CHOCOLATE CUSTARD PIE. No. 1.
One-quarter cake of Baker's chocolate, grated; one pint of boiling
water, six eggs, one quart of milk, one-half cupful of white sugar,
two teaspoonfuls of vanilla. Dissolve the chocolate in a very little
milk, stir into the boiling water and boil three minutes. When nearly
cold beat up with this the yolks of all the eggs and the whites of
three. Stir this mixture into the milk, season and pour into shells of
good paste. When the custard is "set"--but not more than half
done--spread over it the whites whipped to a froth, with two
tablespoonfuls of sugar. You may bake these custards without paste, in
a pudding dish or cups set in boiling water.
CHOCOLATE PIE. No. 2.
Put some grated chocolate into a basin and place on the back of the
stove and let it melt (do not add any water to it); beat one egg and
some sugar in it; when melted, spread this on the top of a custard
pie. Lovers of chocolate will like this.
LEMON PIE. No. 1. (Superior.)
Take a deep dish, grate into it the outside of the rind of two lemons;
add to that a cup and a half of white sugar, two heaping
tablespoonfuls of unsifted flour, or one of cornstarch; stir it well
together, then add the yolks of three well-beaten eggs, beat this
thoroughly, then add the juice of the lemons, two cups of water and a
piece of butter the size of a walnut. Set this on the fire in another
dish containing boiling water and cook it until it thickens, and will
dip up on the spoon like cold honey. Remove from the fire, and when
cooled, pour it into a deep pie-tin, lined with pastry; bake, and when
done, have ready the whites, beaten stiff, with three small
tablespoonfuls of sugar. Spread this over the top and return to the
oven, to set and brown slightly. This makes a deep, large sized pie,
and very superior.
_Ebbitt House, Washington._
LEMON PIE. No. 2.
One coffee cupful of sugar, three eggs, one cupful of water, one
tablespoonful of melted butter, one heaping tablespoonful of flour,
the juice and a little of the rind of one lemon. Reserve the whites of
the eggs, and after the pie is baked, spread them over the top beaten
lightly-with a spoonful of sugar, and return to the oven until it is a
light brown.
This may be cooked before it is put into the crust or not, but it is
rather better to cook it first in a double boiler or dish. It makes a
medium-sized pie. Bake from thirty-five to forty minutes.
LEMON PIE. No. 3.
Moisten a heaping tablespoonful of cornstarch with a little cold
water, then add a cupful of boiling water; stir over the fire till it
boils and cook the cornstarch, say two or three minutes; add
teaspoonful of butter and a cupful of sugar; take off the fire and,
when slightly cooled, add an egg well beaten and the juice and grated
rind of a fresh lemon. Bake with a crust. This makes one small pie.
LEMON PIE. No. 4.
Two large, fresh lemons, grate off the rind, if not bitter reserve it
for the filling of the pie, pare off every bit of the white skin of
the lemon (as it toughens while cooking); then cut the lemon into very
thin slices with a sharp knife and take out the seeds; two cupfuls of
sugar, three tablespoonfuls of water and two of sifted flour. Put into
the pie a layer of lemon, then one of sugar, then one of the grated
rind and, lastly, of flour, and so on till the ingredients are used;
sprinkle the water over all, and cover with upper crust. Be sure to
have the under crust lap over the upper, and pinch it well, as the
syrup will cook all out if care is not taken when finishing the edge
of crust. This quantity makes one medium-sized pie.
ORANGE PIE.
Grate the rind of one and use the juice of two large oranges. Stir
together a large cupful of sugar and a heaping tablespoonful of flour;
add to this the well-beaten yolks of three eggs, two tablespoonfuls of
melted butter. Reserve the whites for frosting. Turn this into a
pie-pan lined with pie paste and bake in a quick oven. When done so as
to resemble a finely baked custard, spread on the top of it the beaten
whites, which must be sweetened with two tablespoonfuls of sugar;
spread evenly and return to the oven and brown slightly.
The addition of the juice of half a lemon improves it, if convenient
to have it.
BAKERS' CUSTARD PIE.
Beat up the yolks of three eggs to a cream. Stir thoroughly a
tablespoonful of sifted flour into three tablespoonfuls of sugar; this
separates the particles of flour so that there will be no lumps; then
add it to the beaten yolks, put in a pinch of salt, a teaspoonful of
vanilla and a little grated nutmeg; next the well-beaten whites of the
eggs; and, lastly, a pint of scalded milk (not boiled) which has been
cooled; mix this in by degrees and turn all into a deep pie-pan lined
with puff paste, and bake from twenty-five to thirty minutes.
I received this recipe from a celebrated cook in one of our best New
York bakeries. I inquired of him "why it was that their custard pies
had that look of solidity and smoothness that our home-made pies have
not." He replied, "The secret is the addition of this _bit of
flour_--not that it thickens the custard any to speak of, but prevents
the custard from breaking or wheying and gives that smooth appearance
when cut."
CREAM PIE.
Pour a pint of cream upon one and a half cupfuls of sugar; let it
stand until the whites of three eggs have been beaten to a stiff
froth; add this to the cream and beat up thoroughly; grate a little
nutmeg over the mixture and bake without an upper crust. If a
tablespoonful of sifted flour is added to it, as the above Custard Pie
recipe, it would improve it.
WHIPPED CREAM PIE.
Line a pie plate with a rich crust and bake quickly in a hot oven.
When done, spread with a thin layer of jelly or jam, then whip one
cupful of thick sweet cream until it is as light as possible; sweeten
with powdered sugar and flavor with vanilla; spread over the jelly or
jam; set the cream where it will get very cold before whipping.
CUSTARD PIE.
Beat together until very light the yolks of four eggs and four
tablespoonfuls of sugar, flavor with nutmeg or vanilla; then add the
four beaten whites, a pinch of salt and, lastly, a quart of sweet
milk; mix well and pour into tins lined with paste. Bake until firm.
BOSTON CREAM PIE.
_Cream Part._--Put on a pint of milk to boil. Break two eggs into a
dish and add one cup of sugar and half a cup of flour previously mixed
after beating well, stir it into the milk just as the milk commences
to boil; add an ounce of butter and keep on stirring one way until it
thickens; flavor with vanilla or lemon.
_Crust Part._--Three eggs beaten separately, one cup of granulated
sugar, one and a half cups of sifted flour, one large teaspoonful of
baking powder and two tablespoonfuls of milk or water. Divide the
batter in half and bake on two medium-sized pie-tins. Bake in a rather
quick oven to a straw color. When done and cool, split each one in
half with a sharp broad-bladed knife, and spread half the cream
between each. Serve cold.
The cake part should be flavored the same as the custard.
MOCK CREAM PIE.
Take three eggs, one pint of milk, a cupful of sugar, two
tablespoonfuls of cornstarch or three of flour; beat the sugar,
cornstarch and yolks of the eggs together; after the milk has come to
a boil, stir in the mixture and add a pinch of salt and about a
teaspoonful of butter. Make crust the same as any pie; bake, then fill
with the custard, grate over a little nutmeg and bake again. Take the
whites of the eggs and beat to a stiff froth with two tablespoonfuls
of sugar, spread over the top and brown in a quick oven.
FRUIT CUSTARD PIE.
Any fruit custard, such as pineapple, banana, can be readily made
after the recipe of APPLE CUSTARD PIE.
CHERRY PIE.
Line your pie plate with good crust, fill half full with ripe
cherries; sprinkle over them about a cupful of sugar, a teaspoonful of
sifted flour, dot a few bits of butter over that. Now fill the crust
full to the top. Cover with the upper crust and bake.
This is one of the best of pies, if made correctly, and the cherries
in any case should be stoned.
CURRANT PIE.
Make in just the same way as the "Cherry Pie," unless they are
somewhat green, then they should be stewed a little.
RIPE CURRANT PIE.
One cupful of mashed ripe currants, one of sugar, two tablespoonfuls
of water, one of flour, beaten with the yolks of two eggs. Bake; frost
the top with the beaten whites of the eggs and two tablespoonfuls
powdered sugar and brown in oven.
GREEN TOMATO PIE.
Take medium-sized tomatoes, pare and cut out the stem end. Having your
pie-pan lined with paste made as biscuit dough, slice the tomatoes
_very thin_, filling the pan somewhat heaping, then grate over it a
nutmeg; put in half a cup of butter and a medium cup of sugar, if the
pan is rather deep. Sprinkle a small handful of flour over all,
pouring in half a cup of vinegar before adding the top crust. Bake
half an hour in a moderately hot oven, serving hot. Is good; try it.
APRICOT MERINGUE PIE.
A canned apricot meringue pie is made by cutting the apricots fine and
mixing them with half a cup of sugar and the beaten yolk of an egg;
fill the crust and bake. Take from the oven, let it stand for two or
three minutes, cover with a meringue made of the beaten white of an
egg and one tablespoonful of sugar. Set back in a slow oven until it
turns a golden brown. The above pie can be made into a tart without
the addition of the meringue by adding criss-cross strips of pastry
when the pie is first put into the oven.
All of the above are good if made from the dried and stewed apricots
instead of the canned and are much cheaper.
Stewed dried apricots are a delicious addition to mince meat. They may
be used in connection with minced apples, or to the exclusion of the
latter.
HUCKLEBERRY PIE.
Put a quart of picked huckleberries into a basin of water; take off,
whatever floats; take up the berries by the handful, pick out all the
stems and unripe berries and put them into a dish; line a buttered
pie, dish with a pie paste, put in the berries half an inch deep, and
to a quart of berries, put half of a teacupful of brown sugar; dredge
a teaspoonful of flour over, strew a saltspoonful of salt and a little
nutmeg grated over; cover the pie, cut a slit in the centre, or make
several small incisions on either side of it; press the two crusts
together around the edge, trim it off neatly with a sharp knife and
bake in a quick oven for three-quarters of an hour.
BLACKBERRY PIE.
Pick the berries clean, rinse them in cold water and finish as
directed for huckleberries.
MOLASSES PIE.
Two teacupfuls of molasses; one of sugar, three eggs, one
tablespoonful of melted butter, one lemon, nutmeg; beat and bake in
pastry.
LEMON RAISIN PIE.
One cup of chopped raisins, seeded, and the juice and grated rind of
one lemon, one cupful of cold water, one tablespoonful of flour, one
cupful of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of butter. Stir lightly together
and bake with upper and under crust.
RHUBARB PIE.
Cut the large stalks off where the leaves commence, strip off the
outside skin, then cut the stalks in pieces half an inch long; line a
pie dish with paste rolled rather thicker than a dollar piece, put a
layer of the rhubarb nearly an inch deep; to a quart bowl of cut
rhubarb put a large teacupful of sugar; strew it over with a
saltspoonful of salt and a little nutmeg grated; shake over a little
flour; cover with a rich pie crust, cut a slit in the centre, trim off
the edge with a sharp knife and bake in a quick oven until the pie
loosens from the dish. Rhubarb pies made in this way are altogether
superior to those made of the fruit stewed.
RHUBARB PIE. (Cooked.)
Skin the stalks, cut them into small pieces, wash and put them in a
stewpan with no more water than what adheres to them; when cooked,
mash them fine and put in a small piece of butter; when cool, sweeten
to taste; if liked, add a little lemon-peel, cinnamon or nutmeg; line
your plate with thin crust, put in the filling, cover with crust and
bake in a _quick_ oven; sift sugar over it when served.
PINEAPPLE PIE.
A grated pineapple, its weight in sugar, half its weight in butter,
one cupful of cream, five eggs; beat the batter to a creamy froth, add
the sugar and yolks of the eggs, continue beating till very light; add
the cream, the pineapple grated and the whites of the eggs beaten to a
stiff froth. Bake with an under crust. Eat cold.
GRAPE PIE.