Part 14 (2/2)

647. +Compote de Marrons.+-- Remove the sh.e.l.l from 2 dozen large Italian chestnuts and boil the nuts for a few minutes in water; take them out one at a time and remove the brown skin; boil pound sugar with cup water, put in the chestnuts, pour them together with the syrup into a stone dish, cover and set them in a cool place; next day pour off the syrup, boil it up, add 1 teaspoonful vanilla extract and pour it over the nuts; repeat this once more and serve when cold.

648. +Compote Chaude de Marrons.+-- Shortly before serving roast 2 or 3 dozen large Italian chestnuts in the oven, remove the sh.e.l.ls and lay the nuts into a hot dish; put 1 gill rum in a small saucepan with 2 tablespoonfuls sugar; let it get hot, pour over the chestnuts, light the rum and bring it burning to table.

649. +Compote of Pineapple.+-- Cut a large, ripe pineapple into thin slices, pare them carefully and remove the core in center; boil 1 cup sugar with cup water; lay the pineapple slices into a dish and pour the syrup over them boiling hot; cover and let them stand 2 hours; shortly before serving lay the slices in a gla.s.s dish and pour the syrup through a fine sieve over them.

650. +Compote of Quinces.+-- Chose dozen large apple quinces, pare and cut them into quarters, remove the cores and lay the quinces in cold water; put the peels and cores in a kettle, cover with water and boil till soft; strain them first through a coa.r.s.e bag, then through a flannel bag; return the liquor to kettle, add 1 cup sugar, boil for a few minutes, put in the quinces and boil till tender; put them into a dish and strain the syrup over them.

651. +Compote of Peaches.+-- Cut into halves 20 large, sound peaches, pare them carefully and remove the pits; crack the pits open, take out the kernels, scald them in boiling water and remove the brown skins; place a porcelain-lined or agate kettle with 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water over the fire and boil a few minutes; put in the peaches and kernels and boil from 6-8 minutes; pour them into a deep porcelain dish, cover with paper and set aside; when cold put them in a sieve or colander over the kettle the peaches were boiled in; drain off all the liquid and boil it down to one-half; shortly before serving pile the peaches up high in a gla.s.s dish and pour the syrup over them cold.

652. +Compote of Apricots+ is made the same as Compote of Peaches.

653. +Compote of Pears.+-- Pare and cut 2 dozen medium sized ripe pears into halves, remove the cores and put the pears in cold water with the juice of 1 lemon or 2 tablespoonfuls white vinegar; place a kettle over the fire with 1 pint water, 10 tablespoonfuls sugar, the juice of 1 lemon, half the rind and boil 3 minutes; remove the sc.u.m, put in the pears and boil till a straw will pierce through them easily; then pour them in a deep stone bowl, cover with paper and set aside; when cold drain off the liquor and boil it down to one-half; then set aside to cool; shortly before serving pile the pears up high in a gla.s.s dish and pour the syrup over them cold. If large pears are taken use a smaller quant.i.ty; if small pears are chosen use a larger quant.i.ty, leave them whole, cut the stems off half way and pare them.

654. +Compote de Melons.+-- Select 1 large muskmelon (not too ripe), cut it in half, remove the seeds with a tablespoon, cut the melon into large pieces, pare off the skin and cut each long piece in two; put the melon pieces in a saucepan, cover with boiling water and boil 5 minutes; take them out with a skimmer and lay the melon pieces on a dish to cool; put a kettle over the fire with 1 pound sugar and 1 pint water and boil a few minutes; put in the melon and boil 20 minutes; pour it into a dish, cover with paper and set in a cool place; when cold drain off the syrup, return it to kettle and boil slowly 10 minutes; then set aside to cool; pile the melon up high in a gla.s.s dish and pour the cold syrup over it. A piece of green ginger root or the juice of 1 lemon may be boiled with the melon.

655. +Compote of Watermelon.+-- Select a nice, ripe watermelon, cut it in half, then into slices, remove the black pits and cut the red part into small pieces; take for 1 quart of such pieces 2 cups sugar, 1 pint water, a piece of green ginger and the juice of 1 lemon; put sugar, ginger and lemon juice over the fire and boil 5 minutes; put in the melon pieces and boil slowly about 20 minutes; pour into a dish and cover with paper; when cold drain off the syrup, return it to kettle and boil 10 to 15 minutes; arrange the melon nicely in a gla.s.s dish and pour the cold syrup over it; remove the ginger before sending to table. The white part of the melon may be used for preserving. If the melon is a large one part of it may be used for compote and the other part cut up into slices and served. A third part may be used as a fruit salad. (See Fruit Salad.)

656. +Compote of Apples.+-- Choose medium sized tart apples, pare and cut them into halves, take out the cores, round the edges and lay them in cold water with lemon juice; boil 1 pound sugar with 1 pint water and the rind and juice of 1 lemon in a wide, low saucepan; put in the apples and let them boil 3 minutes; then turn the apples around, cover the pan and set it on side of stove, where they will stop boiling; let them stand 10 minutes; then thrust a straw through them; if it goes through easily they are done; if not, boil them for a minute longer; remove them from fire and set aside; when cold take the apples out of the syrup and lay them on a sieve; boil the syrup down until it thickens; pile the apples up in a gla.s.s dish and pour the syrup over when cold.

657. +Compote de Strelity.+-- Pare, core, cut into quarters and then into fine slices 12 large pippin apples; boil 1 cup sugar with 1 cup Rhine wine, 1 cup water, the juice of 1 lemon and 3 ounces finely sliced citron; put in the apples and boil them for a few minutes; then set aside to cool; soak 1 ounce gelatine in 1 cup water 20 minutes; add 1 cup boiling water and stir until dissolved; add it to the apples and boil for 1 minute; then remove from fire; when cold and beginning to thicken rinse out some small cups or forms with cold water, sprinkle each one with granulated sugar, fill them full of apples and set on ice; boil cup sugar with cup Rhine wine and a little lemon juice to a syrup and set it in a cool place until wanted; in serving turn the apples out of the cups, put them on a round or oval-shaped dish and pour the syrup over them; or serve the apples with whipped cream.

PIES.

658. +Directions for Making Pies.+-- To succeed in making good pastry the following rules should be observed:--Flour should be of the best quality, dry and sifted before using. b.u.t.ter, unless fresh, should be washed several times in cold water and dried in a napkin. Lard should be sweet, and is best when tried out from leaf lard. If suet is used it should be fresh, chopped fine and freed from all skin.

During the process of chopping it should be dredged with flour. Beef dripping should be clarified, and if the dripping has any odor or by-taste a very disagreeable flavor will be imparted to the paste.

Strict cleanliness must be observed. All utensils used for pastry making should be clean and kept exclusively for that purpose.

Prepare the crust as quickly as possible and do not touch it with your hands any more than necessary. When the crust is ready take a pie plate (agate pie plates are the best) and dust it with flour; do not grease it with b.u.t.ter or lard. Cut off a portion of the crust, roll it out thin, lay it over the plate, press it down lightly with the hand, set the plate in front of you, press with the palms of both hands against the edge of plate and cut the paste which hangs over the edge off with your fingers. The plate is then ready to receive the ingredients of which the pie is to be made. If pumpkin, cocoanut or custard pie is to be made, brush the surface of crust over with beaten egg and sprinkle over 2 tablespoonfuls finely sifted bread or cracker crumbs; then fill in the mixture. This keeps the crust dry and prevents it from being heavy. Pies that are made of stewed or preserved fruit should also be treated the same way.

For fine meringue pies the crust should be baked before the mixture is put in. This is done in the following manner:--Line the pie plate with crust and brush the edge over with beaten egg; then roll some pie crust very thin, cut it into strips 1 inch wide and cut one side of the strips into scallops with a knife; wet the edge of crust on the pie plate with beaten egg or water; then lay the strip around the edge of plate so the scallops stand a little above the edge; next lay some thin, b.u.t.tered brown paper into the plate all over the crust, fill the plate with dry peas and bake it in a medium hot oven till crust is done; then take it from the oven, remove paper and peas, fill in the mixture and bake again till pie is done; draw the pie to front of oven, spread over the meringue and let it remain in oven for a few minutes; then transfer it to a cool place and serve cold. 1 or 2 quarts of dry peas should be kept for this purpose only. They may be put away in a box or gla.s.s jar and can then be used several times. If the peas should at any time become rancid from the b.u.t.ter or lard of which the pie crust is made, pour boiling water over them and drain and rub thoroughly with a dry towel; then spread them apart on shallow tins and when dry put away until wanted again. Instead of peas the pie plate may be filled with pieces of stale bread, which can then be used for bread crumbs; but peas are best for this purpose.

659. +Pie Crust (quick and good).+-- 2 cups flour, teaspoonful salt, cup ice water and 1 cup lard; sift flour and salt in a bowl, add the lard and chop it fine with a knife in the flour; add the water and mix it with the same knife into a stiff paste; put the paste on a floured board and work it for a few minutes with the knife; take a portion from it and roll it out thin; line a pie plate with it and fill the plate with the ingredients the pie is to be made of; roll out another portion of paste and spread over the top tablespoonful lard; lay this over the pie with the lard side up, press the paste off which hangs over the edge of plate with your hands and place the pie in oven to bake. This crust is excellent, inexpensive and quickly made; sufficient for 2 large pies.

660. +Rich Pie Crust.+-- pound flour, teaspoonful salt, pound lard and cup ice water; sift flour and salt into a bowl, add the water and mix it into a paste; put the paste on a floured board and work it thoroughly for 5 minutes, or until it does not stick to the hands; then roll it out into a square about an inch in thickness; also shape the lard into a square, but 1 inch smaller than the paste; lay it in center of paste, fold the paste over and place it for hour on ice; then put it on the board again, dust it under and over with flour, roll it out 3 times as long as wide with a rolling pin, fold over one-third to the center, roll over it once, fold the other end over that, so the paste is three double, roll over it once with the rolling pin, turn the paste around, roll it out again 3 times as long as wide, fold it up the same way as before and set the paste again for hour on ice; repeat the folding and rolling twice more and let it rest each time for hour; when ready to make the pie roll a portion of the paste out very thin, line pie plate as directed with it and fill the plate with the ingredients the pie is to be made of; roll out another portion of the paste, spread the top thickly with lard, lay the paste over the pie with the lard side up and remove the paste which hangs over the edge of plate by pressing against the edge with the palm of your hand; sufficient for 2 large pies.

661. +Fine Pie Crust.+-- 1 pound flour, 1 teaspoonful salt, pint ice water, pound lard, 6 ounces b.u.t.ter and the yolk of 1 egg; sift flour and salt in a bowl, add the lard and chop it fine in the flour with a knife; put the yolk in the ice water and beat it with an egg beater till it foams; then add it to the flour and mix it with the same knife into a stiff paste; turn the paste onto a floured board and roll it into a square piece about an inch in thickness; form the remaining lard and the b.u.t.ter also into a square piece, but 1 inches smaller on all sides; lay it in center of paste, fold it over the lard and b.u.t.ter together, first from right and left, then from and towards you; lay the paste onto a plate and let it rest for hour on ice; then put it on a board, dust under and over with flour and roll it out 3 times as long as wide, rolling always from you; fold over one-third to the center, roll over it once with the rolling pin, fold the other end over that, so the paste is 3 double, roll over it once with a rolling pin, turn the paste around, roll it out again 3 times as long as wide, fold it up the same as above and set the paste again for hour on ice or in a cool place; repeat the rolling out and folding up twice more and let it rest each time hour; after the last rolling let it rest 10 minutes and then use as directed; sufficient for 4 large pies.

662. +Family Pie Crust.+-- pound b.u.t.ter, 6 ounces lard, 1 pound flour, 1 cup ice water and teaspoonful salt; sift flour and salt into a bowl, add the lard and chop it up with a broad-bladed knife into the flour until it is very fine; next pour in the ice water and mix it with the same knife into a smooth paste; turn it onto a floured board, dust under and over with flour and roll it out 1 inch in thickness; divide the b.u.t.ter into 3 parts; put 1 part in small bits in regular rows all over the paste; then fold it up, first the right side towards the left, then the left side towards the right, so the paste has 3 thicknesses; turn it around, roll it out again the same way, put over the second part of b.u.t.ter, fold it up and roll out again the same way; put over the third part of b.u.t.ter, fold it up and roll it out twice more; let it rest for 1 hour on ice or in a cool place; then use; while the rolling and folding is going on flour must be sprinkled under and over the paste; the rolling pin must be kept floured, to keep the paste from sticking to it. This paste may be made the day before it is to be used, and if it stands for 2 or 3 days it will not hurt it as long as the paste is kept in a cool place; sufficient for 4 large pies.

663. +Fine Paste for Meat Pies, Patties and Baked Apple Dumplings.+-- Put 1 pound sifted flour on a paste board, make a hollow in center and put in the yolks of 3 eggs and pound b.u.t.ter; work this quickly with your hands into a stiff paste, adding by degrees a little ice water; then roll it out 1 inch in thickness and fold the right and left side to the center, so they meet together; then fold the other two sides over to the center the same way and set it for 1 hour on ice or in a cool place; when that time has expired lay the paste onto a floured board, roll it out 3 times as long as wide, fold one-third over to the center, roll over it once with the rolling pin, fold the other third over that, so the paste has 3 layers, roll out again 3 times as long as wide, fold it up the same way, let it rest for hour and roll and fold it up once more; then use. This paste is excellent for chicken, oyster, pigeon or beefsteak pie; also for baked apple dumplings and fine patties; sufficient for 1 large pie or for 9 apple dumplings.

664. +Puff Paste.+-- 1 pound flour, a pinch of salt, 1 cup ice water and 1 pound b.u.t.ter; sift flour in a bowl, add salt and ice water and mix it into a smooth paste; work it thoroughly on the board with your hands for 5 minutes, cover and set it for 20 minutes on ice; knead the b.u.t.ter well in ice water, to remove the salt, and dry it in a napkin; put the paste onto a floured board and roll it out into a square about 1 inches in thickness; press the b.u.t.ter flat, also into a square, but smaller than the paste; lay the b.u.t.ter in center of paste and fold the paste first from the right and left side; then from you and towards you over the b.u.t.ter together; turn the paste over with the folded side towards the board; dust under and over a little flour and roll the paste out 3 times as long as wide; fold the lower third over the center and roll over it once with the rolling pin; then fold over that the upper third, so the paste is three double; roll over it once with the rolling pin; turn the paste around, roll it out again 3 times as long as wide, fold it again 3 double, lay it on a plate and set the paste for 1 hour on ice; then roll it out again and fold the same way twice; let it rest for hour on ice; roll and fold it twice more, so the paste has been rolled out and folded up 6 times; after the last rolling let it rest for 20 minutes and then use. The rolling out and folding together must be done with the greatest care, so the layers fit exactly over one another, as the whole success depends upon this. The paste has attained its greatest lightness when rolled and folded together 6 times; if it is rolled out oftener it will loose in lightness; and if it is to be used where lightness is not wanted it must be rolled and folded together from 8 to 10 times. Puff paste is best made in a cool place, and if handy on a marble slab.

665. +Short Paste (Murber Teig--German art).+-- pound sifted flour, 6 ounces b.u.t.ter, the yolks of 4 eggs, a pinch of salt, 1 tablespoonful sugar and the grated rind of lemon; knead the b.u.t.ter in ice water, to remove the salt, and dry it in a napkin; put the flour on a board, make a hollow in center, put in the yolks, lemon, sugar, salt and b.u.t.ter and work it quickly into a smooth dough with your hands; set it on ice for 1 hour before using. Another way:-- cup b.u.t.ter, the yolks of 3 eggs, 4 tablespoonfuls cream, tablespoonful sugar, a pinch of salt and pound flour; mix these ingredients together the same as above. Short paste (or Murber Teig) is used a great deal in Germany the same as pie crust in America, and is excellent when made right. A very nice pie is made as follows:--Roll the paste out very thin, cover a pie plate with it (one which is not very deep), cut off what hangs over the edge of plate, spread a thick layer of any kind of fruit marmalade over it, cover with a thin layer of the paste and bake in a quick oven; or bake thin layers of the paste the same as Jelly Cake, and when done lay 2 together with jelly, fruit marmalade or whipped cream between them. Another way to use it is:--Roll the paste out ? of an inch in thickness, cut it into rounds with a cake cutter, brush them over with beaten egg and sprinkle chopped nuts and sugar over them; bake in a medium hot oven and serve with wine.

666. +Neapolitan Paste.+-- Scald 5 ounces almonds in boiling water and let them lay for a few minutes; then remove the brown skins and pound the almonds fine in a wedgewood mortar with the yolks of 4 eggs and 1 tablespoonful powdered sugar; sift 1 pound flour on a pastry board, make a hollow in center, put in pound b.u.t.ter, pound powdered sugar, the almonds, 1 whole egg and 1 yolk and the finely chopped peel of 1 lemon; work this into a stiff paste and set it for 1 hour on ice before using.

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