t to the plate, and fill with clean pieces of
old white linen laid in lightly to support the upper crust. When baked,
slip the pie on a plate, lift off the upper crust, take out the pieces
of cloth, and just before serving, fill with fruit, which should be
previously prepared.

Canned peaches filled into such a crust make a delicious pie.
Strawberries, cherries, gooseberries, and other juicy fruits, that lose
so much of their flavor in baking, may be lightly scalded, the juice
thickened a little with flour if desired, sweetened to taste, and filled
into such a crust. An excellent pie may be made in this manner from
apples, stewed carefully so as to keep the slices whole, sweetened to
taste, and flavored with lemon, orange, or grated pineapple. One
pineapple will be sufficient for four pies. Fresh fruit for filling may
be used without cooking, if desired. If desired, several crusts may be
baked and put away unfilled. When needed, the crusts may be placed for a
few minutes in a hot oven until heated through, then filled with freshly
prepared fruit.

In preparing material for custard or pumpkin pies, if the milk used be
hot, the pies will be improved and the time of baking be considerably
shortened.

Tin or granite-ware plates are preferable to earthen ones for pies, as
they bake better on the bottom. The perforated pans are superior in some
respects. No greasing is needed; simply rub them well with flour. The
time required for baking pies varies from one half to three fourths of
an hour. The dampers should be so adjusted as to bake the bottom crust
first.

After baking, remove at once to heated earthen plates, or set the tins
upon small supports, so that the air can circulate underneath them.

_RECIPES._

PASTE FOR PIES.--Sift together equal parts of Graham grits and
white flour (Graham flour will do if the grits are not obtainable, but
the grits will produce a more crisp and tender crust), and wet with very
cold, thin sweet cream. Have the flour also as cold as possible, since
the colder the material, the more crisp the paste; mix together very
quickly into a rather stiff dough. Do not knead at all, but gather the
fragments lightly together, roll out at once, fill and bake quickly,
since much of the lightness of the crust depends upon the dispatch with
which the pie is gotten into the oven after the materials are thrown
together. If for any reason it is necessary to defer the baking, place
the crust in the ice-