Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 December 1894 — HOW TO MAKE AN APPLE PIE. [ARTICLE]

HOW TO MAKE AN APPLE PIE.

The Just How of Having It RightDirections for the Inexperienced. To the practiced cook the following directions may seem foolishly ixplicit, but inexperienced housekeepers and young girls learning to cook like to be told just how to comcine materials, and with such information can sometimes outdo the woman who tells “by the feeling of cer elbow” how much sugar or salt io use. Pie Paste—For one pie use one ind a half cupfuls of sifted flour, a j small half cup of lard, a fourth of a cupful of ice water, a salt spoonful cf salt and a large pinch of baking 1 powder. Place the flour in a pan, sift the salt and baking powder over , it, add the lard and with a chopping i knife mix the lard thoroughly with ; “the flour. It is well to provide more ■ than the exact amount of ice water, but be careful to use as little is will readily get the crust into •shape. Mix with the tips of the fingers, adding but little water at a time and handling as little as possible. Endeavor, as you become experienced, to roll your crusts to the exact dimensioi s, as nearly as can managed, that there may be little to trim off ah(l mold over. For seasoning one pie, threefourths of a cupful of granulated mgar will be needed. Put in a bowl ind add a tiny pinch of salt, half a easpoonful of cinnamon and two heaping tablespoonfuls of flour. Mix hese together and sprinkle a little -iver the bottom crust before putting in the apple. Of course you will have pare! and sliced a sufficient quantity of apple as the first step m-j your piemaking. ’ The quantity needed c‘an be best decided by heaping them up on the tin plate to be used, The thickest possible pie and a large plate arc the dimensions up-

on which the pies of these notes were built. a Place the apple in the lined plate in three layers, with the mixed seasoning over eachundagrating of nutmeg over the top layer. Wet the edges of the under crust with milk before putting the top crust on and pinch or fold closely. Milk makes the edges adhere more securely than if they are merely wet with water. Cut a small slit in the top crust or provide whatever sort of vent and ornamentation you may fancy. The sugar being mixed with flour will thicken as it melts, and the juices of the pie be in little danger of baking out. ? /• '< - " _ • A quick-oven is needed for pies, and an apple pie should only be pronounced done when there is danger of baking the crust too long, for thorough cooking renders the apple rich and toothsome. Red astrakhan apples, fall pippins, Rhode Island greenings and Northern spies make each in their season delicious pies, but a good 1 housekeeping correspondent, the author of these directions, declares that there are apples from which no amount of skill can evoke fit interior substance for a perfect pie.