FoodNetArchive

The household (of the Detroit free press)

1886

Page 451 · 2 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1886. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Take two pounds of veal, one half-pound of bacon, cut into small pieces, boil in a little water until nearly tender. Now roll the crust (sour milk crust is good) ; lay a deep pie dish on the crust, and cut the size of the dish ; put the crust all round the dish, but do not put any at the bottom ; place a teacup in the middle and place the meat in layers ; beat a raw egg up with a little flour in the gravy ; add pep- per, salt and a little catsupVeal Pie ; pour half of this over the meat, save the other to add after the pile is baked ; put the crust over the pie, wet the paste at the edge so that the gravy may not escape ; bake a good brown ; when the crust is done the pie is baked. PASTRY. PUFF PASTE, PIES AND TARTLETS. Use the best of fresh lard for pastry, or the cr.ust will be bitter, tough, and anything but flaky. The best way to secure good lard is to take the leaf and try out the lard, and then you are sure of having the genuine article. Keep a board or marble slab purposely for pastry, and PASTRY. 541 see that it is never used for any other purpose except to mold bread or pastry upon. A good way to avoid wasting flour each time you use your kneading board is to brush it carefully off the board into a small sieve ; sift out the flour, it will be good to use again. An economical pie crust is made by allowing one cup of flour and a large spoonful of lard to each covered pie of ordinary size. Sift the flour and take out a handful for rolling out ; add a pinch of salt for each pie ; put your lard into the flour in lumps as large as an almond, but do not rub, as every lump will make it flaky ; work in as much cold water as will make a dough just soft enough to roll easily ; handle as little as possible to form an oblong roll of dough, and cut into as many slices as you need tops and bottoms ; lay the cut side on the board and roll just large enough to cover your platter neatly ; roll top crust very thin and bake well in a quick oven, and you will surely have good pie crust, even in warm weather. For meat pies use less shortening and put in a little yeast powder ; roll top crust of meat pies half an inch thick, and line sides only of the pan. The real puff paste for tarts or pies is made in this way : Before beginning operations, select the coolest possible place in which to workf use a marble slab, if possible, when rolling out the paste for pies, and work quickly, handling as little as possible. To a pound of flour a pound of butter is generally supposed necessary, but a half a pound of shortening to a pound of flour is quite as good, and much more health- ful. Again, if considered necessary, the shortening may be half lard or good dripping, and the other half only butter, with half teaspoonful of salt added. Mix half the butter (or other shortening), with the flour as finely as possible, till it is no coarser than oatmeal ; wet it up with iced waterPie Crust until about the consistency of the butter to be used ; then roll out smooth, spread with some of the remaining butter, sprinkle with flour and fold three times and set away on ice, or if in winter, in a cold but not freezing place, for fifteen minutes.