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Recipes for some of the most tantalizing pies imaginable include banana cream, cherry rhubarb, chocolate custard, cranberry, pecan, grape, sweet potato, blueberry chiffon, and literally hundreds more — among them, eight versions of pumpkin pie and more than 25 varieties of apple pie. A special section covers the use of toppings and glazes, with complete recipes for meringues, glazed cherry topping, almond paste, cheese topping, and many other finishes. This treasury of recipes puts all the essentials of good pie baking at the fingertips of amateurs and professionals alike.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780486830339 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Dover Publications |
| Publication date: | 05/16/2018 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 432 |
| File size: | 7 MB |
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CHAPTER 1
TECHNICAL DATA
(1) WEIGHING AND MEASURING
The system is avoirdupois, sixteen ounces to the pound. Weighing is more accurate than measuring, but it is slower, and the measuring can be made sufficiently accurate for most daily work. Weighing is necessary in the cookery of large pieces and in the preparation of large quantities of pastry. The measures in common use are ¼ teaspoon, ½ teaspoon, teaspoon, tablespoon, the ½ pint measuring cup (1 cup), the pint (2 cups), quart (4 cups), and gallon of liquid measure.
It is necessary to know the relation of these different weights and measures to each other. The following abbreviations are short cuts in reading:
oz. = ounce or ounces lb. = pound tsp. = teaspoon Tbsp. = tablespoon c. = cup pt. = pint or 2 cups qt. = quart or 4 cups gal. = gallon pkg. = package
(2) HOW TO MEASURE DRY INGREDIENTS
To measure 1 teaspoon, 1 tablespoon, or any part thereof, or 1 cup or fraction of a cup, or a pint or a quart of any dry ingredient such as sugar, meal, flour, or cereal, fill the utensil full by lifting the material, by means of spoon or cup, into the cup, pint, or quart and level off by passing the edge of a straight knife or spatula over the top. Fractions of a teaspoon or tablespoon are measured as follows: To measure ½ teaspoon, or ½ tablespoon, fill the spoon with the ingredient, level off and divide the spoon lengthwise in half. To measure ¼ teaspoon or ¼ tablespoon, fill the spoon with the ingredient, level off with a knife or spatula, divide lengthwise in halves, then crosswise in fourths. Scrape off the unused portion. (Measuring spoons are available for ½ and ¼ teaspoons.)
(3) HOW TO MEASURE FLOUR
Pastry flour is generally used in pastry-making because of the larger proportion of starch. Some pastry chefs claim, however, that bread flour gives a more flaky crust, and it is generally used in making Puff Paste (No. 41). A blend of the two flours is preferred by some, as indicated for No. 66, Winter Wheat Crunchy Semi-Puff Paste Flaky Pie Crust, which, however, may be used for both onecrust or two-crust pastry.
Two methods of filling a cup or quart measure have been found to give very good results. One is to sift the flour gently, bringing it up heaping full, and putting it into the cup or quart measure with almost as light a touch as though it were an explosive likely to blow up if jarred, then leveling off the top with the edge of a spatula — not the flat surface, for here there is a tendency to use pressure. By this method, the variation in the weight of any number of measurements of a given sample of flour need not run much, if any, higher than the equivalent of ½ tablespoon per cup, or about 2 tablespoons per quart. Another method of measuring flour is to sift it directly into the cup or quart slightly overful and then level off the surface with the edge of a spatula. However, the modern baker knows that there is just one procedure to be followed in measuring flour, and that is: sift, measure, sift. Flour which has been standing for several days may be so closely packed that a cup of it is really 1 cup plus 5 or 6 tablespoons, while the flour that has just been delivered in the bouncing truck of the dealer will give only 14 tablespoons to the cup instead of the usual 16.
As a result of variation in flour particle size and differences in methods of measuring, it is difficult to give exact figures for the weight of a cupful of flour. The following figures are used by a number of research workers:
1 cupful sifted bread flour = 112.0 grams
(4) HOW TO MEASURE BROWN SUGAR
Pack sugar firmly into the spoon, cup, pint or quart, then level off with a straight knife or spatula. If lumpy, roll and sift before measuring.
(5) HOW TO MEASURE LIQUIDS Fill the utensil to the point where it is completely full without overflowing.
(6) HOW TO MEASURE FATS In measuring fats, a real difficulty is encountered — that is, the tendency for large air spaces to form. This is greater if the fat is cold. Let us take lard as an example, which is plastic and easily packed. A cupful measured immediately after it is taken from the refrigerator is found to be 6 2/5 oz., whereas the same measure of this lard, when allowed to come to the temperature of the room, weighs 7 2/3 oz., which is the correct value. The difference of 1 4/15 oz., between the two measurements assumes considerable significance when thought of as almost 2 tablespoons.
Butter, being harder and less plastic than lard, shows an even greater resistance to packing when cold and a greater tendency to slip and slide around when one tries to pack it down into the utensil.
Another difficulty met with in measuring fats is the resistance to leveling off. If one is not careful, the top is still rounded after passing the spatula over it. A rounded surface would, of course, tend to compensate for air spaces and therefore might appear to be desirable in measuring cold fats; but since no two cups of fat with air spaces and rounded tops are likely to weigh the same, it is better to pack solid and to level off the top to a flat surface.
The difficulty in measuring fats can be much lessened by taking the fat out of the refrigerator for a few minutes in hot weather — an hour or so in cold — before it is to be measured; but even then a special effort must be made to see that the pack is solid, with no air spaces.
For all solid fats: Measure by tablespoons for amounts of ¼ cup or less. To measure a spoonful of fat, pack it solidly into the spoon, then level off with a spatula or knife. To measure by cup, pack the shortening in so solidly that it will hold the shape of the cup (or other measure) when turned out; then level off. For fraction of cup, pack solidly or level off at the desired fraction, if cups in fractional sizes are used; or use the water displacement method. For example, for ½ cup of shortening, fill cup half full of cold water, add shortening until the water reaches the top of the cup, being sure that all the shortening is kept under the level of the water, then drain off water carefully. The remaining shortening measures the correct amount. This method may be used for any fraction of a cup, pint, or quart. To measure from a pound print (as for packaged butter or lard), is an easy matter if one is familiar with the relation between a pound and cup. One pound is equivalent to 2 cups. One-half pound equals 1 cup; a ¼ pound stick equals ½ cup.
To resume: Any difficulties which are encountered by measuring fats by the cupful are easily overcome by the purchase of a scale of suitable size to weigh the amount of shortening called for in the recipe.
For melted shortening: The solid shortening may be measured and leveled off with knife or spatula, then melted, or it may sometimes be more convenient to melt the shortening before measuring. The amount should be the same.
(7) STANDARD MEASURES
Standard measuring cups, graduated to read 1/3 and 2/3 on one side, and ¼, ½ and &$190; on the other, and sets of measuring spoons consisting of 1 tablespoon, 1, ½ and ¼ teaspoons are available for accuracy in measuring. Some measuring cups designed for liquid have an extra rim for the 1 cup mark, but these should not be used for measuring ingredients which must be leveled off.
(8) FATS OR SHORTENINGS
Under the term shortening are included all fats which are used with flour and other ingredients to make breads, cakes, and pastries tender, long, or short.
Fats or shortenings are the only materials in pie crust which are not dissolved in the water nor wet by the water. They are not changed during the baking process and thus produce tenderness by preventing the flour, sugar, and other non-fatty materials from combining into a hard, brittle, continuous mass. Water as a liquid, for example, does not act in this manner. Fats or shortenings also prevent the products from drying out quickly.
(9) BUTTER
The butter in pies, although it adds flavor, is very expensive. Even in hotels and restaurants, pastry made with butter is extremely rare.
Butter's chief value is its flavor. When substituting butter for lard or any other shortening in pastry, remember that butter is not 100 per cent fat, and so more butter should be used than is stated in the recipe. In general, 2 tablespoons of butter should be added for each cup of pure fat required. Butter is only 81 per cent pure fat, the rest of the contents being casein, salt, and water. When butter is used in pastry, the moisture present develops the gluten of the flour and makes a tough pastry. However, when butter is washed to remove all buttermilk, it gives a tender pastry with a flavor not obtained by the use of any other shortening. Some bakers prefer to melt the butter, remove the curds which settle, cool the remaining butter fat, and use it in a semi-solid condition. This is practised by the French and Italian pastry makers. Others recommend using lard or hydrogenated fat to mix with the flour; then when this pastry has been dampened and rolled out, spread on butter, fold and roll again. This method produces what is called semi-puff paste.
(10) MARGARINE
Margarine, as produced at the present time in the United States, is a combination of highly refined vegetable oils (more than 90 per cent of the oils used are cottonseed oil and soybean oil; other oils include corn, peanut, sunflower, seed oil, and meat fats, to a limited degree) pasteurized and cultured skim milk, salt and Vitamin A. The term oleomargarine, indicating the use of "oleo," is no longer a true description of modern margarine. The original product, made largely from beef fat, was invented in 1870 by a French chemist, Mege-Mouriet, who discovered that beef fat from particular portions of the bullock would melt at the same temperature as butter, and would keep longer without becoming rancid. Like butter, margarines are not used to any extent in pie crust in the baking trade, hotel, restaurant, and home.
(11) LARD
The consistency of lard is extremely soft, and lard is not always uniform, since it is a natural fat and its qualities depend to a large extent on the feed of the animals. Quite often, a very plastic shortening such as lard tends to separate from the dough and work out on the board or bench, requiring the use of considerable dusting flour, which, of course, tends to produce an inferior crust. Some lards, such as hydrogenated lards, have been improved for baking and have better keeping qualities than others. Shortenings used for pie crust should be able to resist oxidation at oven temperature. If shortenings used for pie crust oxidize at oven temperature, they give the crust a disagreeable rancid taste and odor. This is not generally true of the hydrogenated lards.
The following kinds of lards are available on the market: (a) kettle-rendered leaf lard; (b) kettle-rendered lard; (c) prime steam, or steam-rendered lard; (d) hydrogenated lard.
(a) Kettle-rendered leaf lard is made from the leaf fat, or the internal fat of the abdomen of the hog, excluding that adherent to the intestines. It is rendered in an open kettle, which is steam-jacketed, at a temperature of 230° to 250°F. This method of making lard is similar to the home method; it is light in color, slightly grainy with firm texture, has a mild and pleasing flavor and has excellent keeping qualities.
(b) Kettle-rendered lard is made from leaf and back fat and is rendered in a steam-jacketed open kettle at a temperature of 240° to 260° F. Kettle-rendered lard is light in color, but somewhat darker than leaf lard, slightly grainy in texture, is of very good keeping quality, and has a very pleasing flavor.
(c) Prime steam lard is made from killing and cutting fats, rendered in direct contact with steam in a closed tank under a pressure of 30 to 50 lbs., or at a temperature of about 285° F. It is usually cooled rapidly over a chill roll or refrigerator drum, which produces a very smooth texture. It is whiter and has a different flavor from kettle-rendered lard (a). This kind of lard represents 80 per cent of the commercial product. The keeping qualities are satisfactory, and the cost is usually less than that of the kettle-rendered lards. Of course, none of the above mentioned lards has as good keeping qualities as hydrogenated lard or hydrogenated vegetable shortenings.
(12) HYDROGENATED LARD
By the processes of hydrogenation, addition of antioxidants, deodorization, caustic refining, and plasticizing, new so-called "hydrogenated lards" are on the market. This type of lard will keep firm at room temperatures, not needing refrigeration, has increased stability, more uniform and firmer consistency than other lards, and improved baking characteristics. Some brands on the market have a smoking point of 420° F. and can be kept fresh for fourteen to sixteen months.
(13) ALL-HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL SHORTENINGS
In the manufacture of all-hydrogenated shortenings, every particle of vegetable oil used is subjected to the hydrogenation process. The properties of the original oil are changed so that a shortening with more desirable properties is produced. The hydrogenation process is controlled during manufacture so that finished shortenings have the desired consistency or body.
After the oils are hydrogenated to the proper body, they are further processed to give them a bland and neutral flavor, and to give the smoothness and feel which are characteristic of this type of shortening. Hydrogenated shortenings do not impart any objectionable fatty flavors to the crust. In addition, they resist breakdown and the development of "off" flavors at normal baking temperatures. The body of hydrogenated shortenings is just right to blend readily with the flour in order to produce a tender crust. Furthermore, hydrogenated shortenings maintain distribution in the dough and do not bake out of the crust.
Hydrogenated shortenings permit the production of any type of crust which may be desired — from the very mealy crust to a crust with a maximum flakiness. They have a desirable creamy white color, smooth texture, and a bland or neutral flavor. They keep well and longer than any other shortenings.
(14) STANDARD SHORTENINGS
Standard shortenings are vegetable oil shortenings made by blending, for example, refined, bleached, vegetable oil with sufficient vegetable stearine to produce the desired consistency. Vegetable stearine is vegetable oil hydrogenated to a high melting point. The vegetable stearine and hydrogenated oil are liquified and mixed together; when cooled, the vegetable stearine hardens the unhydrogenated vegetable oil. From this point on, the mixture is processed in much the same manner as the all-hydrogenated shortenings.
Standard shortenings have excellent consistency for pie crust and have good flavor, but they are inferior to hydrogenated shortenings in keeping qualities and in their ability to resist break-down at high temperature.
(15) CHICKEN FAT OR OILS, SOUR CREAM, BACON FAT, SUET
These products may be used in the manufacture of pie crust, but in my opinion their use is so limited and so impractical that the use of better shortenings is preferred.
(16) FLOUR
Flour may be ground according to two classes: (1) The kinds of wheats from which they are made — (a) durum wheat, (b) hard wheats and (c) soft wheats. (2) The uses for which they are milled. Different types and varieties of wheat may be blended to yield flours that are particularly well adapted to special uses. (a) Macaroni flours. These, as the name implies, are designed for the making of macaroni and related products. They are milled from durum wheats, which are high in protein. The flours are quite granular and usually creamy in color. (b) Bread flours. These are milled from blends of hard spring and hard winter wheats. They are fairly high in protein and somewhat granular to the touch. They may be bleached or unbleached. Bread flours are milled primarily for bakers. (c) General-purpose, or family flours. As the name implies, these flours are of such composition that they may be used satisfactorily for all household cookery purposes. In the hard wheat producing areas they are usually a blend of hard wheats. They are lower in protein content than bread flours. They do contain enough protein for making good yeast breads, but not too much for good quick breads and cakes. In soft wheat areas, all-purpose flours are usually a blend of soft wheats. Although both "northern" and "southern" all-purpose flours give good results in any type of product, the "northern" variety makes especially good yeast breads, while the "southern" variety makes especially good quick breads. Either of them gives good results in all types of home-baked products, except perhaps the finest cakes, which are best made from cake flour. (d) Pastry flours. These may be made either of hard or soft wheat, although usually of the latter. They are fairly low in protein and are finely milled, though they are not so fine as cake flour. They are especially milled for making pastry, and are used chiefly by bakers. (e) Cake flours. These are milled from soft wheats. They are short patents, representing the most highly refined flour streams of the mill. The granulation is uniform and very fine, and the protein content is low. (f) Self-rising flour. This is flour to which calcium acid phosphate or monocalcium phosphate, bicarbonate of soda, and salt have been added.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "The Pie Book"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Louis P. De Gouy.
Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION, 1,
TECHNICAL DATA, 3,
PASTRY AND CRUST RECIPES, 39,
PIE RECIPES, 55,
CHIFFON PIE RECIPES, 327,
TOPPING, GARNISHING, AND GLAZING, 403,