Part 20

69. SWEET-POTATO PIE.--The amount of milk needed for making sweet-potato pie varies according to the dryness of the potatoes. Before they can be used for pie, the sweet potatoes must be cooked until they are tender and then mashed. The quantities given in the accompanying recipe will make enough filling for two pies.

SWEET-POTATO PIE

3 c. sweet potato 3/4 c. sugar 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1/2 tsp. cloves 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ginger 2 eggs 2 c. milk

To the sweet potatoes add the dry ingredients and the unbeaten eggs, and then beat the mixture thoroughly. Pour in the milk and stir well. Turn into a partly baked pie crust, place in a moderate oven, and bake until the filling is set.

70. OPEN PEACH PIE.--Pare sufficient peaches to cover a single-crust pie. Cut them into halves, remove the seeds, and place in a single layer over an unbaked pie crust. Cover with 1 cupful of sugar to which have been added 3 tablespoonfuls of flour. Dot well with butter, add 1/4 cupful of water, and place in the oven. Bake until the crust is brown and the peaches are well cooked. Apples used in the same way make a delicious dessert.

PUFF PASTE

71. PROCEDURE IN MAKING PUFF PASTE.--The making of puff paste differs somewhat from the making of plain pastry. If puff paste is to be successful, it must be made carefully and with close attention to every detail. Even then the first attempt may not prove to be entirely successful, for often considerable experience is required before one becomes expert in the making of this delicate pastry.

The best time to make puff paste is in the cold weather, as the butter, which is the fat used, can be handled more easily and rolled into the paste with greater success if it, as well as the other ingredients, are cold. If puff paste is desired in weather that is not cold, the mixture will have to be placed on ice at various intervals, for it positively must be kept as cold as possible. However, it is always preferable to make puff paste without the assistance of ice. Further essentials in the making of successful puff paste are a light touch and as little handling as possible. Heavy pressure with the rolling pin and rolling in the wrong direction are mistakes that result in an inferior product. The desirable light, tender qualities of puff paste can be obtained only by giving attention to these details.

72. Before beginning the mixing of puff paste, wash the bowl, spoon, and hands first in hot water to insure perfect cleanliness and then in cold water to make them as cold as possible. Measure the ingredients very carefully, or, better, weigh them if possible.

Put the butter in a mass in the bowl and, as shown in Fig. 14, wash out the salt by running cold water over the piece and working it with a wooden spoon or a butter paddle. When it becomes hard and waxy and may be handled with the hands, take it from the bowl and remove the water by patting it vigorously, first on one side and then on the other. Finally, form it into a flat, oblong piece and set it into the refrigerator to harden.

73. With the butter ready, break off a tablespoonful or two and mix it with all of the flour except 2 tablespoonfuls, which must be retained for flouring the board, in the same way as for plain pastry. Then add the water, and, when a mass is formed, remove it to a well-floured board and knead it as shown in Fig. 15. When the mixture has become somewhat elastic, cover it with a towel, as shown in Fig. 16, and allow it to remain covered for 3 to 5 minutes.

Then roll it into an oblong piece, and, as in Fig. 17, place the butter on one end of it. Bring the opposite end down over the butter and press the edges together with the tips of the fingers, as shown in Fig. 18. Then, with the rolling pin, make several dents in the dough mixture and the butter, as shown in Fig. 19, and begin to roll, being careful to roll in one direction and not to allow the butter to come through the paste. If it should come through, it will have to be treated until it becomes perfectly cold and hard again before the making can go on.

The quickest and most satisfactory way in which to accomplish this is to wrap it in a piece of linen, set it on a plate in a pan of crushed ice, and place another pan of crushed ice over the top of it. In case this is done once, it will have to be done each time the paste is rolled.

Continue to roll until a rectangular piece is formed, always being careful to move the rolling pin in the same direction and never to roll backwards and forwards. With a long, narrow piece of dough formed, fold about one-third under and one-third over, as shown in Fig. 20, turn the open end toward you, and roll lightly and carefully in one direction until another long, narrow piece of dough is formed. Fold this in the same way, turn it half way around, and roll again. Continue in this manner until the piece has been rolled about six times and, during the entire process, try, if possible, to keep the butter from coming through. As may be readily understood, this can be accomplished only with light, careful handling.

As soon as the rolling has been completed in the manner described, cut the puff paste into the desired shapes and place them on the ice for about 1/2 hour or until they are thoroughly chilled. They are then ready to be baked. If time is too limited to keep the paste on ice for 1/2 hour, chill it as long as possible before baking.

74. BAKING PUFF PASTE.--A very hot oven is required for successful puff paste. In fact, the colder the pastry and the hotter the oven, the better will be the chances for light pastry. The air incorporated between the layers of the paste by the folding and rolling expands in the heat of the oven, causing the paste to rise and producing the characteristic lightness.

For instance, if the pieces of paste are about 1/4 inch thick before baking, they should be 2 inches thick when baked. Set the pan containing the pieces on the floor of the oven in order to give the paste every opportunity to rise. If it seems to rise unevenly, turn it around so that it will get the same heat on all sides. Should there be any danger of the paste burning on the bottom, put pieces of heavy paper or asbestos under the pan and should it appear to burn on top, put pieces of paper directly over the paste on the rack above. Bake until light and nicely browned and then remove from the oven.

75. RECIPE FOR PUFF PASTE.--Either bread or pastry flour may be used in the preparation of puff paste, but if pastry flour is used a tablespoonful or two more will be required.

The amount of cold water needed varies with the absorbing power of the flour. However, only enough should be used to make it possible to knead the mass of dough that forms so that it may become elastic. Kneading develops the gluten in the flour and helps to hold in the fat thus making the paste easier to handle.

PUFF PASTE

2 c. flour 1 c. butter Cold water

Put the flour into a mixing bowl and chop a tablespoonful of the butter into it. Add cold water until a mass that may be removed to a baking board is formed. Then proceed in the manner explained for the making of puff paste.

76. USES OF PUFF PASTE.--Puff paste is seldom used in the making of single- or double-crust pies; instead, it is usually employed for daintier desserts commonly known as _French pastry_. However, there are really innumerable uses to which it may be put in addition to those for which ordinary pastry can be used. In fact, after the art of making this kind of pastry is mastered, it will prove to be invaluable for serving on special occasions.

77. With puff paste may be made tarts of any kind or shape. Particularly attractive tarts can be made by covering small tins in the manner shown in Fig. 12 and then, after the shapes have been baked, filling each one with half of a peach or half of an apricot and juice that has boiled thick and piling sweetened whipped cream over it.

Puff paste made into the same shapes as those just mentioned for tarts may have placed in it a layer of cake, on top of which may be spread a layer of jam; and, to add a dainty touch, either whipped cream or chopped nuts may be put over the jam. The cake used for such a dessert should preferably be simple butter cake or sponge cake, such as might be baked in a loaf.

Puff paste in the form of tubes and shells may be used for serving foods daintily. Thus, a hollow tube may be made by rolling the paste very thin, cutting it into rectangular pieces, placing each piece over a round stick about 1-1/2 inches in diameter, and then baking. After the baked tube is slipped off the stick, it may be filled with sweetened and flavored whipped cream, to which may be added chopped nuts, chopped fruit, or jam. Small baked shells of puff paste answer very well as timbale cases, which may be filled with creamed mushrooms, creamed sweetbreads, or other delicate creamed food. If shells are not desired, small triangular or round pieces may be cut and baked and creamed food served over them as it would be served over toast.

An attractive dessert may be prepared by baking several rectangular pieces of puff paste in the oven and then arranging them in two or three layers with custard between. Simple sugar icings into which some butter is beaten may also be utilized to advantage in making French pastry of this kind.

Puff paste may also be used as the covering for small individual pies.

SERVING PASTRY

78. To be most palatable, pastry should be served as soon as possible after it is baked. When it is allowed to stand for any length of time, the lower crust becomes soaked with moisture from the filling used, and in this state the pie is not only unpalatable, but to a certain extent indigestible. Consequently, whenever it is possible, only enough for one meal should be baked at a time.

After a pie is taken from the oven, it should not be removed from the pan in which it is baked until it is served. In fact, pie with a tender crust cannot be handled easily and so should be cut while it is still in the pan. Often it is best to serve a pie warm. When this is to be done, it can be served immediately upon being taken from the oven, or if it has been baked for some time and is cold, it may be set in the oven and reheated before serving. Such treatment will freshen any pie that has become more or less stale and, as is well known, pie is much more palatable when it is warm and fresh than when it is cold or stale. In case pies must be kept before being served, they should be stored in a place that is both cold and dry. A refrigerator is too damp and for this reason should not be used; but any other cool place that is sufficiently dry will be satisfactory.

79. Several ways of serving pie are in practice. This dessert may be baked in attractive dishes especially designed for this purpose and then served from them at the table, or it may be baked in an ordinary pie pan and then placed on a plate larger than the pan for serving. Pie of the usual size is generally divided into five or six pieces, a sharp knife being used to cut it. If possible, a pie knife, which is narrow at the end of the blade and gradually grows broader until the handle is reached, where it is very broad, should be provided for the serving of this dessert, for it helps very much in handling the triangular pieces that are cut from a large pie. The plates on which pie is served should be at least as large as salad plates. Very often, instead of serving it from the pan at the table, it is put on plates in the kitchen and passed at the table. Pie is always eaten with a fork, one that is smaller than a dinner fork being used.

80. With most pies containing fruit filling, a small piece of cheese, preferably highly flavored cheese, may be served. This makes a very good accompaniment so far as flavor is concerned, but is omitted in some meals because it may supply too much food value or too much protein. However, if the fact that a high-protein food is to be served at the end of the meal is taken into account when the remainder of the meal is planned, there need be no hesitancy in serving cheese with pie. Of course, when cheese is to be included in the meal in this way, the portions of the protein foods served with the main course should be smaller.

81. A very attractive as well as appetizing way in which to serve pie is known as _pie à la mode_. This method of serving, which is often resorted to when something extra is desired, consists in placing a spoonful or two of ice cream of any flavor on each serving of apple or other fruit pie. Pie served in this way is high in food value and is a general favorite with persons who are fond of both ice cream and pie.

* * * * *

PASTRIES AND PIES

EXAMINATION QUESTIONS

(1) (_a_) What is pastry? (_b_) What is the principal use of pastry?

(2) How should the use of pastry with meals be governed?

(3) What may be said of the flour used for pastry?

(4) Discuss the shortenings that may be used for pastry.

(5) Give the proportions of fat and flour that may be used for pastry.

(6) What may be said of the handling of pastry in its preparation for baking?

(7) Describe a method of mixing fat and flour for pastry.

(8) How is the liquid added to the fat and flour for pastry?

(9) Describe the rolling of pie crust.

(10) How is a pan covered with paste for pies?

(11) How may a single crust that is to be baked before it is filled be kept from blistering?

(12) Describe the making of a top crust and the covering of a pie with it.

(13) What oven temperature is best for baking pastry? Tell why.

(14) On what does the length of time for baking pastry depend?

(15) Describe briefly the making of puff paste.

(16) What may be done with bits of paste not utilized in making pies?

(17) If more than sufficient paste for use at one time is mixed, what may be done with that which remains?

(18) How should pastry be cared for after baking?

(19) Describe the serving of pastry.

(20) Why should starchy material used for thickening not be cooked with acid fruit juice for any length of time if this can be avoided?

INDEX

A

Almond macaroons, Angel cake, Apple-and-celery salad, cakes, -date-and-orange salad, pie, sauce, -sauce cakes, tapioca, Apricot mousse, Banana-and-, sandwiches, sauce, Asparagus salad,

B

Baked custard, Baking butter cake, cookies, plain pastry, puff paste, small cakes, sponge cake, Banana-and-apricot mousse, -and-peanut salad, Barley-molasses cookies, Beet-and-bean salad, Berry pie, Biscuit tortoni, Biscuits, Definition of, Molding, Blanc mange, Chocolate, mange, Plain, Boiled icing, icing, Brown-sugar, salad dressing, Bomebe glacé, Boston cream pie, Bread-and-butter sandwiches, -and-cheese sandwiches, Rye-, for sandwiches, Bread pudding, pudding, Chocolate, Bride's cake, Brioche, buns, dessert, pudding, Brown Betty, -sugar boiled icing, Brownies, Butter cake, cake after baking, Care of, cake, Baking, -cake ingredients, Combining the, cake, Nature of, -cake pans, cakes and their preparation, cakes, Procedure in making, icing, icing, Chocolate, Butterscotch pie,

C

Cabbage-and-celery salad, salad, Café parfait, Cake after baking, Care of butter, after baking, Care of sponge, and pudding mixtures in the diet, Angel, Apple, Baking butter, Baking sponge, Bride's, Butter, Caramel, Chocolate nut, Cinnamon, Cocoa and chocolate in, Coconut in, Cold-water sponge, Cake, Corn-starch, Devil's food, Feather, fillings, Flavoring extracts in, from pan, Removing sponge, Fruit, Gold, Hot-water sponge, Ice-cream, icings and fillings, icings, Preparation of, ingredients, Combining butter-, ingredients, Combining sponge-, ingredients, Preparation of, ingredients, Quality of, Lady Baltimore, making, Equipment for, making, Procedure in, Miscellaneous fruits in, mixture, Baking the butter-, mixture, Baking the sponge-, Nature of butter, Nature of sponge, Nut layer, Nut spice, Nuts in, One-egg, Orange sponge, pans, Preparation of, pans, Sponge-, Plain layer, Plain sponge, Potato-flour sponge, Pound, Raisin spice, Raisins and currants in, Sour-milk chocolate, Sponge, Sunshine, War, Wedding, White, White fruit, with potato flour, Sponge,

Cakes, Apple-sauce, Baking small, Cinnamon cup, Cocoa cup, Coffee, cookies, and puddings, Cup, Cup and drop, Drop, Fat for, Flour for, Fruit drop, General classes of, Ginger drop, Ingredients used in, Cakes, leavening for, Liquid for, made with yeast, Nature of mixture for small, Oat-flake drop, Ornamental icing for cup, Preparation of small, Procedure in making butter, Procedure in making sponge, Roxbury, Small, Sour-milk drop, Spices in, Sweetening for, Varieties of small, California salad, Canapes, Cantaloupe shells, Fruit in, Canton parfait, Caramel cake, custard, filling for éclairs, ice cream, icing, mousse, tapioca, Carbohydrate in desserts, in salads, Care of butter cake after baking, of salad greens, of sandwiches after making, of sponge cake after baking, Cauliflower-and-tomato salad, salad, Celery salad, salad, Apple-and-, salad, Grapefruit-and-, sandwiches, Rolled, Stuffed, Cellulose in salads, Checkerboard sandwiches, Cheese-and-nut sandwiches, dreams, filling for sandwiches, salad, Green-pepper-and-, salad, Peach-and-cream-, salad, Pear-and-, sandwiches, sandwiches, Jelly-and-cream-, sandwiches, Rye-bread-and-, straws, Cherry frappé, pie, pie, Mock, salad, Filbert-and-, Chicken salad, -salad filling for sandwiches, -salad sandwiches, sandwiches, Chocolate and cocoa in cake, Chocolate blanc mange, bread pudding, butter icing, cake, Sour-milk, filling, filling for éclairs, ice cream, icing, mousse, nut cake, pie, pudding, sauce, water icing, Christmas pudding, Cider frappé, Cinnamon cake, cup cakes, Classes of cookies, Cleaning and freshening salad ingredients, Club sandwiches, Cocoa and chocolate in cake, cup cakes, Coconut-corn-starch custard, filling, in cake, macaroons, pie, puff, sauce, Coffee cakes, filling, filling for éclairs, jelly, Cold and frozen desserts, desserts and their preparation, -water icing, -water sponge cake, Combination fruit-and-vegetable salads, fruit salad, salad, salad, Summer, Combining butter-cake ingredients, sponge-cake ingredients, Composition and food value of desserts, of salads, Cooked icings, mayonnaise, Cookery rules to desserts, Applying, Cookies, and puddings, Cakes, Baking, Barley-molasses, Classes of, Cream, Filled, Filling for, Cookies, Ingredients in, Oatmeal, Procedure in making, Sour-cream, Cooky recipes, Corn oil, -starch cake, -starch custard, Cottage pudding, Cottonseed oil, Crab salad, Lobster or, Cranberry frappé, pie, Cream, Caramel ice, -cheese salad, Peach-and-, -cheese sandwiches, Jelly-and-, Chocolate ice, cookies, Dessert sauces and whipped, dressing, filling for cream puffs, filling, Fruit, fluff, Pineapple, fluff, Strawberry, French, Mocha ice, Neapolitan ice, Philadelphia ice, pie, pie, Boston, pie, Date, puffs, puffs and éclairs, puffs, Cream filling for, Spanish, Tapioca, Vanilla ice, Whipped, Crullers, Frying doughnuts and, Nature of doughnuts and, Shaping doughnuts and, Cucumber-and-onion salad, Sliced, -and-tomato salad, salad, sandwiches, Cup and drop cakes, cakes, cakes, Cinnamon, cakes, Cocoa, cakes, Ornamental icing for, Currants and raisins in cake, Custard, Baked, Caramel, Corn-starch, desserts, Farina, Frozen, Minute-tapioca, pie, Plain frozen, Custard, Rice, sauce, Soft, Tapioca, Tutti-frutti frozen, with nuts, Frozen, with raisins, Frozen, Custards, True,

D

Daisy salad, Date-and-English-walnut salad, -and-orange salad, Apple-, cream pie, sandwiches, Dessert in the meal, ingredients, Economical use of, making, Principles of, making, Principles of frozen-, Packing a frozen, sauces and whipped cream, Desserts and their preparation, Cold, Applying cookery rules to, Attractiveness of, Carbohydrate in, Cold and frozen, Composition and food value of, Custard, Fat in, Frozen, Gelatine, General discussion of, Method of freezing, Molding frozen, Principles of making gelatine, Procedure in freezing, Proportion of ice to salt in frozen, Protein in, Recipes for frozen, Recipes for gelatine, Serving frozen, Devil's food cake, Diet, Cake and pudding mixtures in the, Purposes of salads in the, Salads in the, Double-crust pies, Doughnuts, and crullers, Frying, and crullers, Nature of, and crullers, Shaping, Drop, Potato-and-barley, Sour-milk, Yeast, Dreams, Cheese, Dressing, Boiled salad, Cream, Dressing, French, Fruit-salad, Mayonnaise, Sour-cream, Thousand Island, Dressings and their preparation, Salad, Nature of salad, Dried-fruit pies, Drop cakes, cakes, Cup and, cakes, Fruit, cakes, Ginger, cakes, Oat-flake, cakes, Sour-milk, doughnuts,

E

Easter salad, Easy pastry, Éclairs, and cream puffs, Caramel filling for, Chocolate filling for, Coffee filling for, Royal, Economical use of dessert ingredients, Economy paste, Egg sandwiches, Ham-and-, sandwiches, Hard-cooked-, sandwiches, Hot fried-, English-walnut salad, Date-and-, Equipment for cake making, Extracts in cake, Flavoring,

F

Farina custard, Fat for cakes, in desserts, in salads, Feather cake, Fig pudding, Steamed, Filbert-and-cherry salad, Filled cookies, Filling, Chocolate, Coconut, Coffee, for cookies, for cream puffs, Cream, for éclairs, Caramel, for éclairs, Chocolate, for éclairs, Coffee, for ladyfingers, for sandwiches, Cheese, for sandwiches, Chicken-salad, for sandwiches, Fruit, Fruit cream, Lemon, Marshmallow, Filling, Orange Raisin-and-nut Fillings and icings, Cake Cake French Flavoring extracts in cake Floating island Flour for cakes for pastry Fluff, Pineapple cream Strawberry cream Food value of desserts, Composition and Forks, Salad Frappé, Cherry Cider Cranberry Freezer, Using a vacuum Freezing desserts, Method of desserts, Procedure in Table showing details of Theory of French cream dressing fillings ice cream Fresh-fruit pudding Freshening salad ingredients, Cleaning and Fried-egg sandwiches Frozen custard, Plain custard, Tutti-frutti custard with nuts custard with raisins custards --dessert making, Principles of dessert, Packing a desserts desserts, Cold and desserts, Molding desserts, Proportion of ice to salt in desserts, Recipes for desserts, Serving spiced punch Fruit-and-vegetable salads, Combination of cake cake, White cream filling drop cakes filling for sandwiches gelatine ice in cantaloupe shells salad, Combination --salad dressing salads sandwiches sauce Fruits in cake, Miscellaneous Frying doughnuts and crullers

G

Garnishes, Salad Gelatine desserts desserts, Principles of making desserts, Recipes for Fruit Plain Ginger drop cakes pudding, Steamed snaps Glacé, Bomebe Gold cake Grape sherbet Grapefruit-and-celery salad Green-pepper-and-cheese salad -vegetable salad

H

Ham-and-egg sandwiches Hard-cooked-egg sandwiches sauce High-protein salads -protein sandwiches Highland dainties Hot fried-egg sandwiches -meat sandwiches sandwiches -water sponge cake Humpty Dumpty salad

I