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Show The Mouth-Watering AmericaiiJ? nutmeg and sail. Peel, core and slice the apples into '4-inch slices. Combine the apples with half the sugar mixture. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Adjust the oven rung to the lowest position. Place half the sweet potato slices on the bottom of the pie shell. Sprinkle with half the remaining sugar mixture. Dot with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Place half the apple mixture on top. Repeat the layering. Place the remaining sweet potatoes on top of the apples, sprinkle with the rest of the sugar, dot with the second tablespoon of butter, and arrange the rest of the apples on lop, along with any accumulated juices. Pour the cream over all. Quickly roll out the top crust, fold it in half, and arrange it over the filling. Seal the edges, flute and cut vents. Chill for 10 minutes. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until the crust is very lightly browned. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake 30-40 minutes longer, or just until the juices start bubbling through the vents. Remove from the oven immediately and cool on a rack for 2-3 hours. This pie should be eaten warm. MAPLE PECAN PIE This pecan pie is not quite as sweet as the traditional versions made with corn syrup. The flavor of pure maple syrup baked with the pecans is wonderfully delicate. Unbaked 9 'A -inch pie shell that has been waterproofed with egg white and chilled or frozen 'A cup butter A cup dark or light brown sugar, firmly packed 1 tablespoon flour 18 teaspoon salt 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup pure maple syrup 3A cup heavy cream 1 A cups broken pecan meats (6-7 ounces) 1 cup heavy cream whipped with 'A teaspoon vanilla and 1 A tablespoons sugar Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Adjust the oven rung to the lowest positon. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and then stir in the flour and salt. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each one in with a wire whisk. Beat in the vanilla, maple syrup and heavy cream. Stir in the pecans. Turn the mixture into the prepared pie shell and bake for exactly 10 minutes at 425 degrees. Immediately reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake 30-35 minutes longer until a knife inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out dry. Do not overbake. The center will set as the pie cools. Cool on a wire rack. Serve cool or cold, decorated with the whipped cream. SHOO-FLY PIE Shoo-fly pie is a Pennsylvania Dutch specialty that is made rich with molasses. The texture of the filling is softer than a cake, but firmer than a custard. Its taste is similar to a spicy molasses gingerbread. Unbaked 9 'A -inch pie shell that has been waterproofed with egg white and chilled or frozen 1 cup all-purpose flour 18 teaspoon salt Si A teaspoon cinnamon made 'A teaspoon ginger butie 'A teaspoon allspice oniot A cup dark brown sugar, lex'11 firmly packed 'A cup butter, at room 1 temperature I mt A cup unsulphured molasses $ egg 1 m 1 cup water dsh A teaspoon baking soda 1 12 c 1 cup heavy cream 4 whipped with 'A teaspoon ' vanilla and 1 A PP" tablespoons sugar I Vi t Prf Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Adjust the oven rung to the lowest position. ho1; Mix the flour, salt, and spices in, 0111 large bowl. Stir in the sugar. Add mm the butter and blend it in, using Pej your hands. The mixture will in , , , i const, resemble coarse crumbs. Beat the molasses, egg, and wate- ,u together in another bowl. Beat in s the soda. jlh' Place Vi of the flour mixture mjnu evenly on the bottom of the pie iiul shell. Carefully pour on the accQn molasses mixture. Sprinkle the remaining flour mixture on top. h q-B the pie in the oven and bake at 42! c degrees for exactly 10 minutes. cor Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and smn bake about 30 minutes more, or an(j a until the filling is firm. jst,e Cool the pie on a rack. Serve this , get c. pie warm or at room temperature, Decorate the slices with whipped r servn cream. By I.ynn kulncr ith the transformation of 1 1 the colonics into the L'nirec 11 I Stales of America came the II J metamorphosis of the pie I I I into an indigenous ii U American dish, one of our great culinary traditions. The image of the American pie, with its flaky, delicate crust and luscious, mouthwatering mouth-watering filling, reminds us that, since pioneer days, pies have been considered a great treat. Yet the pics enjoyed by the founding lathers were made from locally and seasonally available produce such as pumpkins, cranberries and sweet potatoes, and the tat for the crust was the lard hat could always be obtained on lanns. Solid vegetable shortening did not exist then, and butter was scarce. I he pioneers did not have our selection of fruits throughout the year to choose from, and for them, chocolate and cinnamon were expensive and rare. But their pies were delicious and they epitomized American cooking. l et us carry forth our traditions, and bake some pies or at least one. The ordinary kind of American pie crust is made of flour, solid vegetable shortening, water and salt. It is very flaky, rather easy to make, and quite bland. Perfect Flaky Pastry is exciting, contains fragrant sweet butter, is a little more challenging to put together and trickier to roll out. If you are fortunate enough to own a food processor, pastry making is "easy as pie," and there will be no difficulties whatever because of the perfect distribution of the ingredients within the dough. Two very important points require particular attention when you are making pastry by hand. 1. When cutting the vegetable shortening into the flour, allow it to remain in pieces the size of peas. This will take only 45 seconds to one minute. If you cut the shortening too small, there will be no pieces of fat to burst into flakes. The pieces of shortening should remain quite visible within the flour mixture. 2. When adding the ice water, remember that the object is to add only just enough water to hold the dough together. If you do it very gradually, and toss the flour mixture after each small addition of water, there will be no problem with uneven distribution. There are five elements which, taken together, make pastry flaky. 1. The particles of fat are cut into the flour with a pastry blender or food processor and remain distinct within the dough. The fat is not melted or creamed into the dough. 2. Ice water, as small an amount as possible, is used to bind the dough, and not room-1 room-1 temperature water. 3. The bottom crust is "waterproofed" with egg white. 4. The dough is chilled before baking. 5. The pie is baked in a very hot oven at the beginning, 450 degrees, and on the lowest rung. PASTRY Standard American Flaky Pastry, By Hand Enough dough for a 9'2-ineh double crust, or two 9'2-inch single crusts 2 'A cups unbleached, all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 78 cup solid vegetuble shortening, at room temperature 5-6 tablespoons ice water Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the solid vegetable shortening with a pastry blender until it is in pieces the size of peas. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of ice water on the flour and fat. Toss together with a long-pronged dinner fork for about 20 seconds. Sprinkle on another tablespoon of water, and toss again. Continue in this way until you have used 4 tablespoons. Now add water by half-tablespoons. After you have added 5'A tablespoons of the water, see if you can gather the dough into a ball. Stop adding water as soon as the dough will hold together. Divide and chill. Perfect Flaky Pastry, By Machine Enough for a 9 2-inch double crust, or two 9 '2-inch single crusts 2 'A cups unbleached, all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter A cup chilled vegetable shortening ' cup ice water Place the flour and salt in the chilled processor container, with the steel blade in place. Cut the butter into 14-inch slices and add to the processor. Cover and process for 15 seconds. Stop the machine to see if the butter and flour are completely blended so that no pieces of butter are visible. If not, process 5-10 seconds longer. Cut the chilled shortening into 10 pieces and add it to the container. Replace the lid. Flick the pulse button on and off about 10 times, as you pour the ice water through the feed tube. The dough should be forming a ball around the blade. If not, flick the pulse button about 3 or 4 more times. Remove the dough from the container, divide and chill. CKANBERRY-BI.L EBERRY PIE This combination of berries makes an extraordinary pie. Pastry fur a 2 -crust pie Egg while for waterproofing 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1 'A cups sugar 'A teaspoon cinnamon Pinch of salt 2 cups fresh cranberries 4 cups fresh-frozen blueberries 2 tablespoons melted butter Line the pie pan with the pastry and waterproof with the egg white. Chill for 1 hour. Combine the cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Put the cranberries through the coarse blade of a meat grinder, or chop in a food processor or by hand. Stir the cranberries and the blueberries into the sugar mixture. Stir in the melted butter. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Adjust the oven rung to the lowest position. Roll the top crust and fold it in half. Place the filling quickly in the pie shell. Arrange the top crust, seal the edges, flute the rim and cut vents. If possible, place the pie in the freezer or refrigerator for 10 minutes before baking, to chill the top crust. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until the crust is very lightly browned. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake 30-40 minutes longer, just until the juices start bubbling through the vents. Remove from the oven immediately. Cool on a rack for at least 3 hours. SLICED SWEET POTATO AND APPLE PIE The flavors of the sweet potato and the apple are blended together with cream that is baked right into the filling. Pastry for a 2-crust pie Egg white for waterproofing 1SA pounds bright orange sweet potatoes 3A cup dark or light brown sugar, firmly packed 1 teaspoon cinnamon 'A teaspoon nutmeg 'A teaspoon salt 1 A pounds (about 4 large) Mcintosh or Cortland apples 3 tablespoons butter 2s cup heavy cream Line the pie pan with the pastry and waterproof with the egg white. Chill for 1 hour. Steam the sweet potatoes for 20-25 20-25 minutes, until partially cooked. Let cool slightly so that you can handle them, then peel them and cut into 'S-inch slices. While the potatoes are steaming, combine the sugar, cinnamon, |
