PASTRY AKD PIES

When pieplant gives tlie first good mess,

With nice hot biscuit, I confess Our follis feel good. Pop says : "I guess

You ought to have a bran' new dress." "And you a coat," I sez, "no less !"

I know our folks will always bless The day that pieplant gives first mess.

Some of our friends, who have spent many years abroad, tell of a Roman pension or boarding-house whose proprietor boasted that he had recipes for more than 365 delicious desserts. During the months our friends were at the pension they never had the same dessert twice, which, they complained, was really pathetic, for man}- of the dishes were so delicious that they longed for a repetition. We doubt whether anyone could duplicate that experience in an American boarding-house, where, too often, pie is almost the only form of dessert, except a restricted range of puddings. The unwholesome effect of pastry often results, we believe, from eating it as the finish to a hearty meal, when the digestion is already fully tasked. We are told by those who use it that the oil pie crust, recipe for which is given, is more easily digested than that made with other shortening.

Pie Crust. — For one pie use one cupful sifted flour, one-half cup of shortening, pinch of salt. It will be much flakier if chopped together with a knife, instead of rubbing in the hands. Stir in enough cold water to mix it so it may be rolled out. Handle as little as possible, and keep very cold. It is improved by making a day before using, and storing in the icebox or other cold place.

Cream Pie Crust. — If one can use cream, delicious crust may be made. Add baking powder and salt to the flour and mix stiff with cream that is not too heavy. The crust is tender, browns quickly and has a very sweet, agreeable flavor.

Oil Pie Crust. — For this either olive or refined cotton-seed oil may be used. For one pie take one cup flour, add pinch of salt, mix and add two tablespoonfuls oil; rub well together and add three tablespoonfuls cold water. Handle dough as little as possible and roll thin.

Puff Paste. — Use equal weights of flour and butter; by measure, one pint of flour and one cup of butter. Wash the butter in cold water until all the salt is out; the hands should first be washed in hot, then cold water, to prevent the butter from sticking. When washed until

THE RURAL COOK BOOK. 41

smooth and waxy divide butter into four parts, pat until thin, wrap in a napkin and place upon ice. Mix a little salt with the flour, mix in about one-balf cup of ice water, stirring it in with a knife, and cut until it can be taken up clean from the bowl. Put on a well-floured board, roll until one-half inch thick. Roll one portion of the butter thin, fold it up inside the paste, pat and roll out again. Repeat this process with the rest of the butter. When putting in the butter, fold the sides of the paste over it toward the middle, then the ends over, and double; then roll. This process should continue until no streaks of fat are shown. Whenever the butter becomes soft, it should be chilled, and when finished the paste should be wrapped in a napkin, and kept in the refrigerator. This is the paste used for patty cases, and similar delicate pastry. It requires a "knack'' as well as a recipe to get good results.

Crust for Raised Pies. — This is the crust used by English house- keepers for pork and other meat pies, in which the crust is patted and shaped into a deep dish shape, which is filled with meat and then covered with a top crust. The crust is hard and stiff when cold, but softens when warm. Put one cupful of water in a saucepan, add one pound of lard, put on stove to melt, and allow it to come to boiling point, stirring well; sift about three pounds of flour into a bowl, make a hole in the middle, and stir in the hot liquid, mixing with a spoon until it is cool enough to knead with the hands. It may require the addition of more flour, as it should be very stiff. To make a pork pie, this crust should be molded with the hands into a dish shape four or five inches deep; an oval four or five by six inches is a convenient size. Good, tender, fresh roasting pork is cut into half-inch pieces, and well seasoned; the pie is filled and covered, after a small amount of water is sprinkled over, and then the pie is baked for about ly^ hour, in a steady oven. It is always served cold. Game birds or pigeons make excellent raised pie also. To give a shining yellow appearance to the pastry, brush it over with the yolk of an egg, beaten up with two tablespoonfuls of milk, about 10 minutes before it is taken out of the oven.

Almond Bars. — Roll puff paste into thin narrow strips. Beat one egg white slightly and mix it with two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar and one cupful of finely-chopped almonds. Spread this mixture over the strips of paste and brown them in the oven. Sometimes the almonds ar« rolled into the paste. Mix two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar with the same amount of chopped almonds and sprinkle over the paste when first rolled out. Fold and roll again, then repeat the process. Finally cut into long sticks, brush with white of an egg and brown in the oven. One teaspoonful of cinnamon may be used in place of the almonds, when th« result will be cinnamon bars.

42 THE RURAL COOK BOOK.

Apple Pie. — This is how a Michigan housekeeper makes it: The under crust was first brushed over lightly with white of an tgg and allowed to stand while the rest of the work went on; this to keep the juices from soaking into the crust before baking. Next a half -cupful of sugar was put in, along with a half to a tablespoonful of flour, according to the degree of juiciness of the apples, and a generous pinch of cinnamon or allspice according to choice. These were rubbed smoothly together to insure a jelly-like consistency of the finished pie, without the unpalatable doughy lumps. The fruit is then added, the remainder of the sugar poured over (a cupful in all for very sour apples), the top dotted thickly with butter, and unless the apples are very juicy a dessertspoonful of water added. The edge of the under crust is now moistened with water, the top applied and the two pinched neatly together; the whole brushed over with rich milk to insure an even golden-brownness, and a tiny funnel made of writing paper twisted and pinned into shape inserted in the air hole cut in the top. These details observed you may now put your pie into the oven with a certainty that it will come out a thing of beauty, with none of its savory juices burning to a crisp in the bottom of the oven. For very young apples, however, she always used instead of the water, a generous tablespoonful of spiced vinegar (left over from any spiced sweet pickle) with a little more flour. Or if apples had been kept some time and were shriveled and insipid, she found the same treat- ment a vast improvement. Lacking the spiced vinegar she sometimes used lemon juice with an additional sprinkling of sugar and spices. Other fruit pies were

Appleless Apple Pie. — Soak two large soda crackers in a large cup of boiling water. Add small piece butter. When cool add two tablespoon- fuls vinegar, one cup sugar, a few raisins and a little nutmeg. Bake with

THE RURAL COOK BOOK. 43

two crusts as you do the real apple pie. Another appleless apple pie is made from pumpkins as follows: Procure a good sound pumpkin (or squash), wash, cut a round of same, as deep as an ordinary apple is, from stem to blossom end; peel, cut down crosswise in slices about an eighth of an inch thick; put in water enough to cover, and stew slowly until tender, but not mushy. Lift carefully from the water, let cool. Prepare crust as for apple pie, line your tins with the crust, place your slices of pumpkin just as you would slices of apple; sprinkle over them a little flour — not over a tablespoonful of sugar; add one tablespoonful of pure cider vinegar to each pie, a few lumps of butter, finish with a top crust. Bake to a rich brown color in a moderate oven.

Vermont Blackberry Pie. — Line a deep dripping pan with pastry, cover the bottom with a generous layer of blackberries, sprinkle with sugar and cover with a crust. Bake, then add another layer of blackberries and sugar, cover with a top crust, and then bake again. This is recommended as highly delicious, either hot or cold.

Buttermilk Pie.— Beat together a heaping cupful of sugar and four eggs; add half a cupful of butter; beat thoroughly and add 1^ pint of fresh buttermilk; line pie tins with crust; slice an apple thin and lay in each pie; fill crust with the mixture and bake with one crust.

Butterscotch Pie. — Two eggs, one cup brown sugar, butter size of walnut, tablespoon of flour, one cup cream, one teaspoon vanilla. Cream the butter, sugar and flour together, add the beaten yolks, cream and flavoring. Pour this into a good baked pie crust and return to the oven. When it has thickened spread over it the whites beaten very stiffs, with two level tablespoons of sugar. Have the oven quite cool while the meringue is browning.

Carrot Pie. — Scrape the skin off the carrots, boil them soft and strain them through a sieve. To a pint of the strained pulp put three pints of milk, six beaten eggs, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, the juice of half a lemon and the grated rind of a whole one. Sweeten it to your taste, and bake it in deep pie plates without an upper crust.

Cheese Cakes. — This is a rich English dainty. Take four ounces of butter, and cream it in a warm pan; add four ounces of sugar, beat well; add the yolk of one e^g, beat again, then add one whole tgg; beat all well together, and mix in four ounces of currants. Line patty pans with paste, fill with the mixture, shake a little sugar over the top, and bake.

Curd Cheese Cakes. — Add one tgg to one cupful of fresh curd; beat smooth, and beat in one-half cupful of sugar, and a piece of butter the size of a walnut. Flavor with nutmeg or any other spice, and use as filling for a pie without top crust. A richer curd cheese cake is made by using the recipe given for ordinary cheese cakes, and beating the curd into it before the currants are added.

44 THE RURAL COOK BOOK.

Chocolate Pie. — Line a deep pie pan with rich pie crust and bake in a quick oven. Grate one-half teacupful of chocolate and put into a sauce- pan, with one cupful of hot water, butter the size of an tgg, one table- spoonful vanilla, one cupful of sugar, the beaten yolk of two eggs and two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch, dissolved in a little water ; mix well ; cook until thick, stirring constantly. Pour into the pie shell and let cool. Beat the whites of the two eggs to a stiff froth, add two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, spread on top of pie and slightly brown in oven.

Cider Jelly Pie. — This is a tested old-fashioned recipe. A half pint of boiled cider, a cupful of brown sugar, a cupful of boiling water and two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch. Stir the cornstarch into the cider, add the other ingredients and cook for 10 minutes. Fill into a pastry-lined pie tin and cover with an upper crust.

Cream Pie. — Mix thoroughly two cups of flour and five tablespoonfuls of butter, then add three tablespoonfuls of sugar and one large tgg, which has been thoroughly beaten together previously. Roll an eighth of an inch thick, line two pie tins, prick with a folk and bake a pale brown, then fill with this cream: Two cups milk, two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch, five tablespoonfuls of sugar, yolks of five eggs. Cook together like cus- tard, and when cold cover with meringue made of whites of five eggs and five tablespoons powdered sugar.

New England Cream Tart Pie. — Select firm Esopus apples and make as dry an apple sauce as possible, sweetened slightly and strained. For a large-sized pie use one pint of apple, one pint of thick cream, yolks of two eggs beaten stiff, and one-half of a nutmeg. An under crust only is used, and this may be baked the day before. Fill and bake about one- half hour. Use the whites of two eggs for the meringue and brown in the oven. Greenings are good for this pie when Esopus is not at hand, but apples of low quality should not be used for it.

Crumb Pie. — Soak a pint of bread crumbs in milk. Beat three eggs; add half a cup of sugar. Line two pie plates with crust and strew over enough raisins to cover bottom. Add the bread crumbs to tgg and milk, sifting in a bit of cinnamon, pour over the raisins and bake about 30 minutes.

Date Pie. — For one pie take one heaping cupful of pastry flour, add a pinch of salt and mix to the right consistency with sweet cream. The crust will be much nicer if allowed to get very cold before using. Filling — To a cupful of seeded dates add a cupful of water, cook over hot water about 20 minutes, then rub through a sieve. Beat an tgg and a table- spoonful of sugar until light; add a tablespoonful of lemon juice, the date paste and gradually a cupful of scalded milk. Pour into a half baked shell and finish baking in a moderate oven until a knife blade can penetrate it and come out clean.

THE RURAL COOK BOOK. 45

Delectable Tarts. — One cup of slightly sour cream, one cup of seeded and chopped raisins, one cup of sugar and one tgg with a delicate flavor- ing of spices. Beat the tgg light, add the cream and sugar; the raisins well floured and spices. Bake in tart or patty pans with a single crust.

Elderberry Pie. — Line a pie dish with paste, upon which sprinkle a scant tablespoonful of flour; to this add a half cup of sugar and a half teaspoonful each of cloves and cinnamon, rubbing all together evenly. Upon this pour the berries, a pint more or less according to the size of your pie dish; pour over another half cup of sugar, dot generously with butter, adding last one large tablespoonful of good vinegar. Apply top crust quickly and bake.

Grape Cobbler. — This is best made from very ripe black grapes. Wash them twice — on the bunches and after picking. Line a deep pie dish with half-inch rich crust, put in the grapes and all the sugar that will lie between them, heaping the fruit a little in the middle. Put on the top crust, cut cross slits in the middle and fold back the corners to leave an open square. Set the dish in a quick oven and while the pie bakes make a sauce, using half a cup of butter, one cup of sugar and one table- spoon boiling water. Stir well over hot water and flavor with lemon juice, or grated nutmeg, according to taste. When the pie is nearly done take it out, pour in the sauce through the opening in the crust, return it to the oven. Be careful not to overbake, but keep it hot until served.

Grape Roll. — Allow half the weight of the grapes in sugar and only water enough to keep from burning; seed the grapes; allow one pint of cooked grapes for the roll. To make the dough cream one-half teacupful of butter with one pint of sifted flour; add one teacupful of milk, two eggs well beaten, a saltspoonful of salt and a teaspoonful of baking powder; roll out on the board in two long ovals, roll up and pinch the ends, lay in a buttered dish, set the dish to bake and twice pour over them a sauce of a tablespoonful of butter and a tablespoonful of sugar mixed together, to which is added one-half teacupful of boiling water (for one basting). Serve the rolls with the same kind of sauce made richer and flavored with nutmeg.

Green Apple Slump. — Stew and strain a quart of green apples and sweeten to taste. Make a biscuit crust with two cupfuls of flour, one heaping teaspoonful of baking powder, one tablespoonful of butter and one-half teaspoonful of salt, and moisten with sweet milk to a dough. Roll out one inch thick. Put the prepared hot sauce in a thick-bottomed saucepan, fit over it the crust and cover closely, first buttering the inside of the cover. Place where the sauce will simmer slowly but steadily for an hour. In serving put the crust on the dish, pour the sauce over it aad serve with creasi.

40 THE RURAL COOK BOOK.

Hasty Pie. — Place in a deep baking pan or dish any fresh or canned fruits to the depth of two or three inches. Beat together one egg, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, one cupful sweet milk and one cupful of flour in which has been sifted one teaspoonful of baking powder. Pour this over- fruit and bake until crust is well done. Eat with sweetened cream or any pudding sauce. Use but little syrup with fruit. The same recipe for batter makes good muffins.

Jam Dumplings. — To one quart of sifted flour add two heaping tea- spoonfuls of baking powder, half teaspoonful of salt and four table- spoonfuls of sugar and sift several times. Beat two eggs light and add to a cup of milk; stir into the flour, adding a large tablespoonful of butter melted; add enough milk to make a soft dough; roll out, cut in squares, put a large spoonful of jam in center of each square, pinch the edges together, place them in a baking pan and bake them for 25 minutes; serve with vanilla sauce.

Lady Lufkins. — Make a very rich, flaky pie crust, roll out very thin, cut into strips an inch wide, and wind each strip around a tube of metal or heavy manilla paper about two inches wide; bake until crisp and brown. This is the way in which bakers make their cream rolls. When cold, fill each roll with marmalade in the center and cream at the ends.

Lemon Meringue. — Stir together the juice and rind of one lemon, one cupful of sugar, three-quarters of a cupful of water with one tablespoon- ful of cornstarch, and the yolks of four eggs. Bake in one crust and make a meringue of the four whites for the top, adding a little powdered sugar after having been stiffly beaten. If desired the whites of the eggs may be included in the filling, and two crusts used.

Lemon Mince Pie. — Stir together two tablespoonfuls cornstarch thor- oughly cooked with a cupful of water, one cupful of sugar, one cupful of molasses, one cupful of chopped raisins, a little citron, the juice of two lemons, and the grated rind of one. Bake in two crusts. This makes several pies.

Delicious Lemon Pie. — Beat one cup sugar, three tablespoons of flour, the yolks of two eggs, piece of butter size of a walnut, to a cream. Add the grated rind and juice of a lemon, then one cup of milk, gradually. Then fold in the whites of the eggs beaten to a froth. Bake in one crust.

Maple Custard Pie. — Line a pie pan with any good paste. For the filling beat together the yolks of three eggs and one pint of cream; add one-third cup maple sugar shaved fine. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and bake in a quick oven. Delicious.

Marlborough Pie. — Line a pie plate with very thin puff paste. Take half cup of mixed orange, lemon and citron peel. Strew these in the bottom of the dish. Beat the yolks of four eggs with a cup of butter aod

THE RURAL COOK BOOK. 47

scant cup of sugar. Heat in a double boiler until melted; then flavor with orange juice and little grated peel. Pour into the dish and bake three- quarters of an hour.

Milk Pie. — Line a pan eight inches in diameter with good paste, put dots of butter over the bottom until you have used about the size of a walnut, dredge over alternately flour to the amount of one-fourth meas- uring cup and sugar to the amount of one-half cup, then sprinkle evenly over the top one level dessertspoon of cinnamon and pour in carefully, so as not to disturb the cinnamon, three-fourths cup milk and bake until crust is brown.

Maryland Mincemeat. — Two pounds of lean beef; cook, let get cold, and pass through meat grinder; mix thoroughly with one pint of finely- minced suet, two quarts of chopped, high-flavored apples, one pint of stoned raisins, a scant pint of sugar, one-half pint of currants, one-third pound of citron shaved in fine shreds, 'a cupful of molasses (which is omitted if preferred, sugar taking its place), one tablespoonful each of ground mace and allspice, two tablespoonfuls of cinnamon, one-half table- spoonful of cloves, two grated nutmegs, one and a half tablespoonful of salt, juice and rind of one and a half lemon, same of sour orange, one-half cupful each of candied lemon and orange peel. Moisten with unfermented grape juice, sweet cider, peach or plum syrup. The syrup from sweet pickles is a great improvement. Pack solid in airtight jars.

Green Tomato Mincemeat. Chop fine four quarts of green tomatoes, drain off all juice, cover with cold water, let come to a boil and scald for 30 minutes, then drain well. Add two pounds of brown sugar, one pound of seeded raisins, one-half pound of chopped citron, one large half cupful of finely-chopped suet, one tablespoonful of salt and one-half cupful of strong cider vinegar. Stir well together and cook till thick. When cold add one teaspoonful each of ground cinnamon and cloves and one teaspoonful of grated nutmeg. Stir thoroughly and keep (while it lasts) in a stone jar.

Mock Mince Pie with Cranberries. — One cupful bread crumbs, one cupful raisins, one cupful sugar, one cupful cranberries cut in halves, one level saltspoonful each of cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg, one cup- ful hot water, one-half cup vinegar and butter size of a large English walnut. Turn into a pie tin lined with flaky paste, place the top crust and bake in a brisk oven.

Mock Pumpkin Pie. — Grate sweet apples, add milk, sugar, ginger and cinnamon, and one egg for each pie. Make the filling of the same con- sistency as pumpkin, and bake just like it.

Peach Turnovers. — One pint of dried peaches stewed and sweetened with two tablespoonfuls of brown sugar; flavor with nutmeg to taste.

48 THE RURAL COOK BOOK,

Make a stiff crust, not as short as for other pies. Roll out pieces the size of a saucer. Cover one-half of the crust one-half inch deep with the stewed fruit. Fold over, pinch the edges together and prick with a silver fork. Fry like doughnuts, preferably in cooking oil; powder with sugar and serve with maple syrup.

Pear Puffs. — Peel good pears, cut out the blossom end, but leave the stem; simmer the pears until tender in a weak syrup flavored with lemon, then drain, and allow them to cool. Make a good, rich pie crust, roll out thin, cut into triangular pieces, and cover each pear, pinching the crust neatly together, but leaving the stem protruding. Bake in a quick oven to a pale brown, and serve hot or cold.

Prune Pie. — Stew half pound of prunes as for sauce. When quite soft remove the stones, sweeten, beat up and gradually fold in the whites of two eggs. Line deep pie tins with crust and bake twenty minutes. Then turn in the prune mixture; spread smoothly on top and pour over this a layer of well-sweetened and well-flavored apple sauce. Place in oven and bake twenty minutes longer. Eat hot or cold.

Prune Pie No. 2. — One cupful of stewed and stoned prunes, chopped fine; three tablespoonfuls of the syrup in which they were stewed, two eggs, yolks and white beaten separately, the whites to a stiff froth; sugar, salt and flavoring to taste. The prunes should be soaked an hour or two in warm water before stewing, then cooked slowly several hours, putting them on with cold water enough nearly to cover them and enough sugar to make a rich syrup. Bake without upper crust.

Prune Pie No. 3. — Cover a pie tin with rich crust, and then half fill with a layer of stewed prunes and their juice, the stones having been removed. Over the prunes pour a custard, made by beating up one egg and a teacupful of milk, a little nutmeg being grated over the top. The pie is baked until the custard is set. Little patty pans lined with pie crust and filled with the same material, are prune fanchonettes.

Pumpkin Pie. — This recipe differs decidedly from those ordinarily used and is very good. Cut the pumpkin without paring, bake it, skin side down, until tender, and then scoop out the pulp and sift it. For one pie allow IJ^ cupful of pumpkin, one cupful of boiling milk, one teaspoon- ful of butter, half a cupful of sugar, half a teaspoonful of salt, one- quarter teaspoonful of cinnamon, same amount of ginger; add one egg, beaten separately. Half bake the crust, fill with the pumpkin and bake.

Pumpkin Pie Without Eggs. — Let the pumpjcin be of the pie variety, small, close-grained, and sweet. Steam it until tender, then press through a colander. To a pint of sifted pumpkin add one quart of rich milk, two level tablespoonfuls flour, one cupful sugar, two teaspoonfuls ginger and a pinch of salt. This is sufficient for two pies. Fill the crusts, sift on i

THE RURAL COOK BOOK. 49

little sugar and a dust of nutmeg, and bake. If the pumpkin is not up to the standard, one tgg may be added, but not as a substitute for the flour, which gives body and smoothness to the filling.

Raisin Pie. — One cupful of nice raisins; wash quickly, cover with boiling water, cook until tender; remove seeds; moisten a cupful of bread crumbs with the water, add one-fourth cupful of sugar, one egg (beaten), one tablespoonful lemon juice and the raisins, cut in two or three pieces each; an upper and lower crust of tender pastry and a satisfactory bake make a most delicious pie.

Raisin Pie No. 2. — Boil one pound of seeded raisins in sufficient water to cover for one hour. Then add the juice and grated rind of one lemon, a piece of butter the size of an tgg, one cupful of sugar, and two table- spoonfuls of cornstarch. Bake in two crusts. This makes filling for two pies. A second way of making a pie is to cook one cupful of raisins in one cupful of water until they are softened, add the grated rind and juice of one lemon, half a cupful of sugar, a sifting of cinnamon and sufficient powdered cracks crumbs to thicken. Bake in two crusts.

Raisin Turnovers. — One cupful of seeded raisins, the rind of a lemon, or a few pieces of candied lemon or orange peel, and a small piece of preserved citron, chop all together finely, stir into this one beaten egg, and the juice of one lemon. Roll out puff paste thinly, and cut *it in circles, lay them on a plate, fill with the mixture, then cover and press the edges firmly together. Bake the same length of time as you would a pie.

Raspberry Cream Tart. — Line a pie plate with good paste, and fill with red raspberries, sweetened with powdered sugar. Cover with paste, but do not pinch it down at the edges. When it is done, lift the top crust, which is thicker than usual, and pour upon the fruit a cream made as follows : One small cup of rich milk, heated to boiling point ; whites of two eggs beaten light and stirred into the boiling milk; one tablespoonful of white sugar; one-half teaspoonful of cornstarch wetted with cold milk. Boil three minutes, then let the cream get perfectly cold. Remove the top crust, pour the cream over the fruit, replace the crust, and set the pie away to cool. This recipe is given by Marion Harland; our home recipe for fruit cream pic calls for a simple custard, using both white and yolk of one &gg, which is poured over the fruit as above. Strawberry cream pie is made in the same way.

Rhubarb Pie. — Cut in rather coarse pieces enough rhubarb to fill a large cup. Beat one egg thoroughly, adding a good pinch of salt, add the rhubarb, one cup of sugar and two soda crackers rolled fine. Mix thoroughly, then turn into a pie tin lined with pastry. Put a few bits of butter over it here and there, add a grating of nutmeg, and bake as a

50 THE RURAL COOK BOOK.

tart pie, bands of pastry laid over the top before baking. This quantity makes one pie — a small deep one, or a thin large one.

Rhubarb Cream Pie. — One cupful of rhubarb chopped fine or grated, one cupful of sugar, a pinch of salt, a grating of nutmeg or lemon peel. Moisten a tablespoonful of cornstarch with a tablespoonful of cold water; then fill the cup up with boiling water, stirring until clear. Beat the yolks of three eggs until light, and add them with the cornstarch to the other materials. Line a pie plate with good light paste, fill with the mixture and bake in a moderately hot oven until custard is set. When done and cooled, cover with a meringue made with the whites of the eggs and half a cupful of confectioner's sugar. Brown delicately in the oven.

Fresh Strawberry Pie. — Bake an empty bottom crust, making it extra nice; prick holes all over the bottom and sides, to prevent its getting out of shape. As soon as baked sprinkle the inside with sugar and fill with ripe berries; also well dredge with sugar.- Cover with sweetened whipped cream and then cover all with a meringue of the frothed whites of two eggs mixed with two tablespoonfuls of sugar and a dash of lemon juice. Invert a plate in the oven and place the pie plate on top of it and brown. If the work is very carefully done the berries will not be even heated, and the result will be delicious. The pie should be thoroughly chilled before serving.

Strawberry Pie No. 2. — Line a pie tin with rich crust shortened with butter, no baking powder being used. Let it cool, then fill with fresh strawberries, hulled and washed, and mixed with sugar. Cover with whipped cream and serve.

Strawberry Pie No, 3. — Line a pie plate with good short crust, fill with ripe whole berries, liberally sugared, and then cover with a lattice formed of criss-cross strips of crust. By the time the crust is browned the berries are cooked in their own rich juice, and the pie is much nicer than v/ith an ordinary double crust.

Strawberry Cream Pie. — After picking over the berries carefully, arrange them in layers in a deep pie plate, sprinkling sugar thickly between each layer, having first lined the dish with your best pastry. Cover with a crust with a slit in the top and bake. When the pie is baked, pour into the slit in the top of the pie the following cream mix- ture: Take a small cupful of rich cream, heat until nearly boiling, then stir into it the whites of two eggs beaten lightly to a froth, also a table- spoonful of granulated or powdered sugar; boil all together a few moments. When cool, pour it into the pie through the slit in the crust Serve with powdered sugar sifted on top.