LESSON 7

Pasiny

This lesson is to be devoted to pastry and its uses. It is an accepted fact that pies
and other fancy pastry desserts are ‘‘tops’’ in popularity—so are pastry dishes
for the savory main course.

Good pastry (the ambition of every girl and woman) is wholesome and digestible
enough for the normal person to enjoy; it is poor pastry that is indigestible.

Few materials and few utensils are needed for making pastry—yet it can be
tricky for the cook who fails to understand that the proper proportion of chilled
shortening to flour—the right amount of chilled liquid—light handling—proper
baking—are all very important contributors to success.

In Lesson 6, we considered Soft Doughs, and in this lesson we study one of
the more important Stiff Doughs. The methods for mixing these Soft and Stiff
Doughs are much alike—i.e., the ingredients should all be cold as possible and
when they are being put together, the chilled fat is cut into the sifted dry ingredients
before the very cold liquid is added.

PASTRY FLOUR IS BEST FOR PASTRY

Lesson 3 described very completely the different types of flour that are on the
Canadian market. This might be a good point at which to review that discussion.

Obviously, the soft-wheat Monarch Pastry Flour would hold much ‘direct advan-
tage for the making of pastry. The lower amount of gluten in soft wheat and the
more tender character of that gluten, result in more tender, delicate pastry. Monarch
Pastry Flour, with its very low production of unwanted elasticity in the dough,
makes it easier to get good results . . . without making the pastry too fragile.

KINDS OF PASTRY

There are two types of good pastry in general use—(1) a close-textured paste
and (2) a light flaky paste made up of thin layers of crust with air between. It is
the method of mixing that is largely responsible for these different results—par-
ticularly the way the shortening is added. The type of shortening, too, makes
a difference.

(1) CLOSE-TEXTURED PASTE is made with liquid shortening (cooking oil) or by
working firm, chilled shortening into the dry ingredients with cooled fingertips.
This type of paste is used for many meat pies (particularly of the Melton-Mowbray
type) and for some tart shells, etc.

(2) FLAKY PASTE is made with firm, chilled shortening ‘‘cut into’’ the sifted dry
ingredients; (we told you how to do this in Lesson 6). This is the most popular
type of paste for most pies, savory and sweet, and for general use.

TO MAKE PIE PASTE

Have all ingredients cold as possible.
(1) Collect utensils.

43 LESSON 7

Pr a a er er