Harper's cook book encyclopædia

pears; pare them thinly, core and quarter them, and put them into a stewpan with % lb. of moist sugar, two cloves, a dessert-spoonful of strained lemon-juice, and a quarter of a pint of water. Let them simmer gently for three-quarters of an hour, then turn them into the dish prepared for them. When the fruit is cold, moisten the edge of the dish and line it with pastry, wet the band, put the cover on, press it down all round with the finger and thumb, trim the edge, and mark it with the back of a knife. Ornament the top by placing on it leaves or flowers stamped out with the pastry-cutter. Bake in a good oven. About ten minutes before the tart is done enough, draw it out, sprinkle over it white of egg mixed with a little cold water, sift powdered sugar thickly over it, and put it back in the oven to finish baking. Time to bake, about threequarters of an hour. Plum Pie. — Either fresh or canned fruit can be used. If the latter, the plums should not have been entirely ripe when bottled. In the centre of a Plum Tart Quince Pie deep, earthen pie -dish insert a teacup, and fill the dish with the fruit — if fresh, adding about the quantity of sugar to make them sweet enough and a very small quantity of molasses. Moisten the edge of the dish with cold water, and place around the edge a narrow strip of the pie-crust, which must not be too rich ; this strip of crust must now be moistened with water or the white of egg to prevent the juice escaping. Place the upper crust on, folding it in the middle so as to allow it to rise when the fruit expands. Prick holes in it with a fork to let out the steam. Bake about half or three-quarters of an hour. Plum Tart. — Select blue plums or ripe greengages ; stem and stone them, and fill with them a deep pieplate, or, better still, a shallow pudding-dish ; strew with sugar ; cover with an upper crust, and, after cutting several slits in the pastry to allow the steam to escape, bake in a moderate oven. When ready to serve lift the crust, lay it upside down on a large plate, turn the plums out upon the paste, and smother all with whipped cream. Another way (English recipe) : — Line the edge of a tart -dish with puff paste or with short crust. Fill the dish with plums, and sprinkle a little moist sugar over them. The quantity of sugar required will depend upon the quality of the plums. Cover the dish with pastry, bake in a moderate oven, and serve the tart hot or cold. The appearance of the tart will be improved if it is glazed. To do this, take it from the oven before it is quite done enough. Brush it over with white of egg which has been beaten to a froth, and cover with finely sifted sugar. Sprinkle a few drops of water over it, and return it to the oven to set the glaze. Or, before putting it in the oven, brush it quickly with cold water and sprinkle white sugar upon it. Pumpkin Pie. — Cut the pumpkin into thin slices, and boil until tender