The Skilful Cook Part 46

1 lb. of rough puff or flaky paste.

pint of water.

2 hard-boiled eggs.

Pepper and salt.

_Method._--Prepare the paste as for beef-steak pie, lining the dish in the same manner.

Cut the rabbit into neat joints.

Season them with pepper and salt.

Put them in the pie-dish alternately with the pork.

Pour in the water, and cover with the paste.

Brush over with beaten egg, and decorate with paste leaves.

Make a hole in the middle of the crust for the gases to escape.

Bake for about an hour, attending to directions given for baking beef-steak pie.

Mince Pies.

_Ingredients_--Puff and other pastry.

Mincemeat.

Castor sugar.

White of 1 egg.

THE MINCEMEAT.

_Ingredients_--1 lb. of suet.

1 lb. of apples.

1 lb. of sugar.

1 lb. of currants.

1 lb. of raisins.

1 lb. of candied peel.

The grated rind of 3 lemons.

lb. of ratafias soaked in brandy.

_Method._--Chop the suet.

Wash and dry the currants.

Stone and cut the raisins in halves.

Peel, core, and mince the apples.

Chop the candied peel.

Mix all the ingredients well together.

Put them into a stone jar; cover closely and keep for a month.

TO MAKE THE PIES.

Roll the paste out, and stamp it into rather large rounds with a fluted cutter dipped in hot water.

Lay half the rounds on patty pans.

Wet the edges of the pastry, and put some mincemeat into the middle of each round.

Cover with the remaining rounds, pressing the edges lightly together.

To glaze, brush them with a little white of egg, and dust with castor sugar.

Bake in a quick oven for ten or fifteen minutes.

Mushroom Pie.

_Ingredients_--Puff, flaky, or short crust.

Mushrooms.

Boiled potatoes.

b.u.t.ter.

Pepper and salt.

_Method._--Roll out the paste, and prepare a pie-dish as for beef-steak pie.

Mash the potatoes with b.u.t.ter, pepper, and salt.

Peel the mushrooms, and cut off the ends of the stalks.

Put the potatoes and mushrooms in alternate layers in the pie-dish.

Cover with the paste, and finish off and decorate like a beef-steak pie.

Bake in a quick oven for about three quarters of an hour.

Pigeon Pie.

_Ingredients_--4 pigeons.

1 lb. of rump-steak.

Yolks of 6 hard-boiled eggs.

Pepper and salt.

Some puff or other paste made with 1 lb. of flour.

_Method._--Prepare the pie-dish, and roll out the paste as for beef-steak pie.