Washington Apple Country Recipes

Pastry
Have everything cold; do not make the dough too moist; use pastry flour if possible; roll only once. Paste kept on ice ever night becomes much more flaky than when first made. To prevent the lower crust from becoming soaked brush over with white of egg. Brush the edge with unheated white of egg or water and press the two crusts together with the thumb and finger a pastry roller or the tines of a fork. Always leave an opening in the center of the upper crust that the steam may escape.

Bake pies having a cooked filling in a quick oven and those with an uncooked filling in a moderate oven. Let pies cool upon plates on which they are made because slipping them onto cold plates develops moisture which always destroys the crispness of the lower crust.

Beating and Baking a Meringue
Have cold fresh eggs; beat the whites until frothy; add to each white one level tablespoon of powdered sugar. Beat until so stiff that it can be cut with a knife. Spread on the pie and bake with the oven door open until a rich golden brown. Too much sugar causes a meringue to liquefy; if not baked long enough the same effect is produced.

Plain Pastry
Sift one cup of flour and one-fourth teaspoon of salt into a bowl rub into it five level tablespoons of shortening until the whole is reduced to a fine powder; add cold water slowly to make a stiff dough. Place on a slightly floured board and roll into a circular shape to fit the plate. Fit it loosely into the plate as it shrinks when baked.

Apple Pie
Line a pie plate with good paste. Fill with thin slices of good cooking apples; sprinkle with one-half cup of sugar which has been mixed with a heaping teaspoon of flour and a pinch of salt; cover with an upper crust and bake in a moderate oven for half an hour.

Apple Custard Pie
Heat a pint of milk steaming hot and pour it into a mixture of three eggs slightly beaten, three heaping tablespoons of sugar, a pinch of salt, and a very little nutmeg or lemon. Grate one cup of apple using mellow slightly tart fruit; add to the milk mixture and bake in a very moderate oven without an upper crust. If the pie is baked too quickly the apple will separate from the milk.

Dried-Apple Pie
Soak and stew apples until tender, pass through a sieve and add sugar, a little orange or lemon rind, and a small amount of butter. Fill and bake as any other pie. Serve warm with sweetened cream.

Shaker Apple Pie
Pare, core, and cut into eighths sour apples and put into a lower crust; add a half a pint of seeded raisins. Put on the upper crust being careful to not let it stick to the lower crust. Bake in a slow oven until the apples are thoroughly cooked and the crust is nicely browned. This will require about forty minutes. While the pie is hot take off the top crust and lay it aside, then with a wooden or silver knife stir the apples and remove any hard pieces that may be left. Add sugar, nutmeg, and a small piece of butter and replace the top crust