The baking of puff paste is almost as important as the rolling, and the oven must be very hot, with the greatest heat at the bottom, so that the paste will rise before it browns.  If the paste should begin to scorch, open the drafts at once and cool the temperature by placing a pan of ice-water in the oven.

FLEISCHIG PIE CRUST

For shortening; use drippings and mix with goose, duck or chicken fat.  In the fall and winter, when poultry is plentiful and fat, save all drippings of poultry fat for pie-crust.  If you have neither, use rendered beef fat.

Take one-half cup of shortening, one and one-half cups of flour.  Sifted pastry flour is best.  If you have none at hand take two tablespoons of flour off each cup after sifting; add a pinch of salt.  With two knives cut the fat into the sifted flour until the shortening is in pieces as small as peas.  Then pour in six or eight tablespoons of cold water; in summer use ice-water; work with the knife until well mixed (never use the hand).  Flour a board or marble slab, roll the dough out thin, sprinkle with a little flour and put dabs of soft drippings here and there, fold the dough over and roll out thin again and spread with fat and sprinkle with flour, repeat this and then roll out not too thin and line a pie-plate with this dough.  Always cut dough for lower crust a little larger than the upper dough and do not stretch the dough when lining pie-pan or plate.

If fruit is to be used for the filling, brush over top of the dough with white of egg slightly beaten, or sprinkle with one tablespoon of bread crumbs to prevent the dough from becoming soggy.

Put in the filling, brush over the edge of pastry with cold water, lay the second round of paste loosely over the filling; press the edges together lightly, and trim, if needed.  Cut several slits in the top crust or prick it with a fork before putting it in place.

Bake from thirty-five to forty-five minutes until crust is a nice brown.

A gas stove is more satisfactory for baking pies than a coal stove as pies require the greatest heat at the bottom.

The recipe given above makes two crusts.  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 were made because slipping them onto cold plates develops moisture which always destroys the crispness of the lower crust.

TO MAKE AND BAKE A MERINGUE

To beat and bake 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.