[Sca-cooks] Pie Shapers

[Terry Decker]

> Cealian wrote:
>>Now you see the one in the second site has crowns on the side with a vent 
>>on
>>top bottom of the picture. That one is the one which set me to thinking of
>>wood cut mold.
> ( http://www.historicfood.com/Pie%20recipe.htm )
>
> Actually, I believe Cealian is correct.  That crown was made using Ivan's 
> gingerbread mold which Johnnae, I, and others used last April.  Ivan let 
> me make a "Sculpy" copy of it which is sitting in my kitchen.  I would 
> hazard a guess that Ivan used the mold to print the crowns, cut around the 
> shape and affixed that dough to the side of the pie.  I would stake a 
> cookbook of mine that the mold was used, although I'm not sure about the 
> cutting-out method.
>
> Alys Katharine

I can't tell if the crowns are imprinted separately and affixed to the 
panels or if the crown is cut into plate that would create the panel while 
embossing the crown.  The pie to the right looks as if it has been carved, 
but due to the even work and sharpness of the detail, I'm wondering if it it 
hasn't been pressed into a flat strip of dough with a modernly milled 
rolling stamp.

I've got 15 pounds of flour and a can of shortening.  Using Markham's short 
dough recipe, I can do some experimenting.  I think a simnel decorated like 
one of these pies might be fun.

Come to think of it, I've inherited some German tin molds.  It might be fun 
to drop Markham's "pie of minced meat" made from lamb in the shape of a lamb 
on the head table one of these days.  Not quite period, due to the style of 
mold (I think), but fun.

Bear