“ A pretty top lends distinction to any pie, be it plain or fancy. A sparkling glaze gives a touch of elegance to a two-crust fruit pie.... To make a glazed top, brush the unbaked pie with slightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar, then bake.... For an extra-brown crust, brush the top crust before baking with milk or light cream, then sprinkle with sugar.
Lattice and Open Tops
Lattice-top fruit pies with colorful juices bubbling up through golden strips of pastry are always a favorite.... ”

“ Now the miracle of making pies weeks ahead, freezing them in a home freezer or the freezer section of a refrigerator, and enjoying them fresh from the oven when convenient! Favorites for freezing are double-crust pies like apple, cherry, peach, mince, or berry, also deep-dish fruit and berry pies. ”

“ Be sure all the flour is mixed with the Spry. This step insures tenderness in the pastry.
Cut in remaining Spry to size of large peas. In baking, these pieces melt into little “pools” of fat, forming leafy flakes. This step insures flakiness in the pastry.
Sprinkle water over mixture; mix thoroughly with fork until all particles cling together. Take up in hands. Work into a smooth, well-blended ball of dough.
17 Expert Tricks FOR PERFECT PIES
Many secrets of pie success lie in the “know-how”—in the techniques and practices that are part of a pie-maker’s skill. ”

“ HUSBANDS LIKE BEST
AUNT JENNY’S RECIPE BOOK Copyright 1952—Lever Brothers Company—New York, New York
Now anyone can make pies to perfection with Spry’s ‘Water-Whip’ Method!’
Dear Friend:
Here is my newest Spry cookbook, with 12 recipes for beautiful pies. I’m so glad you sent for it, and I hope you’ll try every one of them! They’re recipes you can depend on, because they’ve been tested over and over again in the Lever Test Kitchens. What’s more, this book is chock-full of tricks that will make pies the easiest thing you bake! ”

“ Just cut many little odd-shaped bits of pastry from the trimmings and scatter them over the top of the filling before baking.... Whipped cream makes glamorous toppings on soft pies, especially when accented with drifts of grated fresh coconut and curls of shaved chocolate (Regal Cream-on-Chocolate Pie, page 1) .... Or make a snowy ruff of whipped cream by dropping teaspoonfuls of cream around the rim of the pie, then garnish as shown in Dreamy Banana Cream Pie, page 5.
Decorative Steam Vents
Small slits or other openings must be made in closed pies in order to let steam escape during baking. ”

“ Peel off top paper, place pastry in 9′′ pie pan, pastry next to pan. Carefully remove paper. Fit pastry into pan, trim 1⁄2′′ beyond pan, turn back even with edge of pan, flute rim. Prick shell all over with fork.... Bake in very hot oven (450°F.) 14-19 minutes.
Makes enough pastry for a 9′′ pie shell.
MERINGUE
A handsome meringue is the final touch of flattery to a beautiful pie. Here is a recipe with 7 success secrets written into it:
3 egg whites
6 tablespoons fine granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice or 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
1. ”

“ Scald2 cups milk in top of double boiler.
Mix3 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1⁄2 cup sugar, 1⁄4 teaspoon salt. Add gradually to scalded milk and cook until thick and smooth, then cook 15 minutes longer, stirring constantly.
Beat3 egg yolks slightly. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into yolks, return to double boiler, and cook a few minutes longer.
Add1 tablespoon butter or margarine, 1 teaspoon vanilla and blend. Cool.
Slice3 or 4 bananas and arrange in baked pie shell; cover at once with cooled filling. At serving time, whip 1⁄2 cup heavy cream. ”

“ Press end of 1 strip on rim, twist and circle edge of pie, pressing strip against rim where it touches. Join strips as before.
Bakein hot oven (425°F.) 45-55 minutes.
12 HOT N HEARTY STEAK PIE
Fry11⁄2 cups sliced onions slowly until yellow in 1⁄3 cup Homogenized Spry. Remove onions and save for later use.
Cut11⁄2 pounds round steak in 1⁄2′′ pieces and roll in mixture of 1⁄3 cup flour, 3 teaspoons salt, 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper. Sear in hot Spry until richly browned. ”