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Classic
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page 181
PASTRY.
Butter or lard for pastry should be sweet, fresh, and solid. When freshly-made
butter can not be had, work well two or three times in cool, fresh water.
A very nice paste for family use may be made by reducing the quantity of
shortening to even so little as a half pound to a quart of flour, especially
when children or dyspeptics are to be considered. With the exception of
mince-pies, which are warmed over before serving, pastry should be eaten the day
it is made. In warm weather, when not ready to bake immediately after making up
paste, keep it in the ice-chest till wanted, several days if necessary, and, in
any event, it is better to let it thus remain for one or two hours.
To prevent the juice of pies from soaking into the under crust, beat an egg
well, and with a bit of cloth dipped into the egg, rub over the crust before
filling the pies.
For a more wholesome pie-crust shortening, boil beans or potatoes until soft,
make into a broth, work through a colander, mix as much into the flour as can be
done and preserve sufficient tenacity in the dough. Knead moderately stiff, and
roll a little thicker than crust shortened with lard. It is a good plan to make
a puff-paste for the top crust, and for the under crust use less shortening.
Many practice this, adding a little soda and cream tartar to the under
crust--one half as much soda as cream tartar, which is always the rule when
these ingredients are used in biscuit, cake, etc.
When using green currants, pie-plant, gooseberries, or other fruits which
require the juice to be thickened, fill the lower crust, sprinkle corn starch
evenly over, and put on the upper crust. This prevents the juice from running
over, and, when cold, forms a
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