[Illustration: Fit dough into pan; trim pastry with scissors about 1
inch beyond edge of pan.]
[Illustration: Turn back pastry; then raise fold, press against pie
pan, making stand-up rim.]
[Illustration: For a rope rim, pinch with thumb and bent forefinger,
making sharp crimps.]
[Illustration: Prick shell all over with fork. Bake in very hot oven
(450°F.) 10 to 15 minutes.]
_Banbury Tarts_
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup seeded raisins, chopped
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon soft bread crumbs
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
¼ cup walnuts, chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
“Water-Whip” Piecrust, page 15
Mix first 8 ingredients.... Roll dough ⅛″ thick and cut in eight 5″
circles. Fit circles into 3″ muffin pans, pinching into fluted rims at
top. Fill with raisin mixture. Place cut-out pastry star on top of each
tart. Sprinkle stars with red sugar.... Bake in hot oven (400°F.) 30-40
minutes.... Makes 8 tarts.
_Mince Turnovers_
Use recipe for Piecrust, page 15 or 16. Roll dough ⅛″ thick and cut out
5″ circles. On one half of each circle place 2 tablespoons mincemeat.
Moisten edge, fold pastry over mincemeat, seal edge with fork. Prick
top. Bake in hot oven (425°F.) 10-15 minutes. Makes 8-10.
_Golden Egg Pastry_
Mix 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour and ½ teaspoon salt. Measure ⅓ cup
Spry.
Step 1 for Tenderness—cut in about ⅔ of the Spry until fine as meal.
Step 2 for Flakiness—cut in remaining Spry to size of large peas.
Add 1 egg, slightly beaten, and mix thoroughly into a dough. Use in
making Hot N Hearty Steak Pie, page 12.
_To Freeze Pies..._
Now the miracle of making pies weeks ahead, freezing them in a home
freezer or the freezer section of a refrigerator, and enjoying them
fresh from the oven when convenient! Favorites for freezing are
double-crust pies like apple, cherry, peach, mince, or berry, also
deep-dish fruit and berry pies.
Pies can be frozen unbaked or baked. If frozen unbaked, do not cut steam
vents in top crust; wrap in moisture-vaporproof material and seal;
label, date, and freeze. To thaw, remove wrappings and cut small steam
vents in top crust. Bake in 425°F. oven for 65-70 minutes. If pie is
frozen baked, let pie cool thoroughly at room temperature, then wrap in
moisture-vaporproof material and seal; label, date, and freeze. To thaw,
remove wrappings from frozen pie and heat in 400°F. oven for 25-35
minutes.
Pie shells can be frozen unbaked or baked and kept on hand for use as
needed. If pie is frozen unbaked, it is easier to freeze it before
wrapping, then wrap immediately in moisture-vaporproof material and
store in freezer.... To thaw, unwrap shell and bake in 450°F. oven 5
minutes; reprick shell and bake about 10 minutes longer. If pie shell is
frozen baked, let the baked shell cool thoroughly at room temperature,
then wrap in moisture-vaporproof material and seal; label, date, and
freeze.... To thaw, leave shell wrapped and let stand at room
temperature _or_ unwrap and heat in 400°F. oven 5 minutes.
_HOW TO “SLIP” A CUSTARD PIE_
[Illustration: For creamy custard and crisp crust, bake shell and
custard separately (page 10).]
[Illustration: Loosen the cooled custard, then slide it carefully
into baked, cooled pie shell.]
_Give Your Pie A Pretty Top_
A pretty top lends distinction to any pie, be it plain or fancy. A
sparkling glaze gives a touch of elegance to a two-crust fruit pie....
To make a glazed top, brush the unbaked pie with slightly beaten egg
white and sprinkle with sugar, then bake.... For an extra-brown crust,
brush the top crust before baking with milk or light cream, then
sprinkle with sugar.
_Lattice and Open Tops_
[Illustration: Lattice top]
Lattice-top fruit pies with colorful juices bubbling up through golden
strips of pastry are always a favorite.... The narrow pastry strips can
be cut with a pastry wheel or sharp-pointed knife.... For a trellis top,
the strips are twisted as they are laid across the filling (Cherry
Trellis Pie, page 9).... For a woven lattice top, weave the strips over
and under one another.... For a crisscross top, lay a first set of seven
strips across the filling, then lay a second set over them, making
diamond shapes on the filling.... For a spiral top, arrange strips on
filling in a spiral effect by starting at the center and twisting and
winding around the top six times (Coronation Peach Pie, page 11).... A
hit-and-miss top offers pleasing contrasts on a prune or raisin pie.
Just cut many little odd-shaped bits of pastry from the trimmings and
scatter them over the top of the filling before baking.... Whipped cream
makes glamorous toppings on soft pies, especially when accented with
drifts of grated fresh coconut and curls of shaved chocolate (Regal
Cream-on-Chocolate Pie, page 1).... Or make a snowy ruff of whipped
cream by dropping teaspoonfuls of cream around the rim of the pie, then
garnish as shown in Dreamy Banana Cream Pie, page 5.
_Decorative Steam Vents_
[Illustration: Decorative vents]
Small slits or other openings must be made in closed pies in order to
let steam escape during baking. These can be extremely attractive and in
harmony with the pie filling. For example, on the top crust of a fruit
pie, prick or cut the outlines of the fruit used, such as apples,
peaches, or plums.... An interesting cherry pie can be made by cutting
eight half-inch holes in the top crust to represent cherries. For stems,
cut slits.... To personalize a pie, prick the initials of the one you
wish to honor.... For a Christmas mince pie, roll the top crust, and cut
with small Christmas tree cutter, making 5 trees and pointing the tips
of the trees to the rim of the pie. The trees should not be cut out of
the dough—merely outlined. Brush the trees with egg white and sprinkle
with red sugar.
_Perky Pastry Cut-outs_
[Illustration: Pastry cut-outs]
Interesting pastry cut-outs, such as fruits, berries, leaves, chickens,
birds, and the like can be applied to pie tops with happy effects (see
the cluster of blueberries and leaves on the Deep-Dish Blueberry Pie,
page 2).... The unbaked pastry “patches” are laid on the top crust
before baking and brushed with unbeaten egg white or milk.... Tiny
pastry stars, hearts, or crescents can be baked and arranged on the top
of a chiffon pie.... For the holidays, Christmas trees or bells can be
cut out of pastry and laid atop the unbaked filling.
[Illustration: Wraparound cover image]