Pie Pie Pie

March 1, 2005
Another addition to the recent spate of single-subject cookbooks, this volume takes the trend to a monomaniacal extreme. Offering 60 variations of pies-fruit-filled, cream, custard, chiffon or "candy"-this compilation focuses entirely on dessert; no savory pies or tarts confuse its mission. But the recipes are easy to follow and generally appealing: a Maple Nutmeg Custard Pie is decadently sweet and eggy, and an old-fashioned Peach Pie tastes like the essence of summer. Moreover, it's comforting to find recipes for certain heirloom pies, like the Chess and the Tyler, named for John Tyler, the 10th president of the United States. This cookbook has its tics, however. Only some of the pies are photographed, leaving the appearance of the Chocolate Tweed Pie and the Date Bar Pie entirely up to the reader's imagination. The recipe for Cranberry Mincemeat Pie gives no instructions on how to prepare mincemeat. And the author tends to overexplain the obvious, reminding his audience that before buying a large rolling pin, one should make sure one's "work area allows... ample room to maneuver," and that pie pans are also called pie plates and pie dishes. This is information that the true pie-lover surely already knows.

March 14, 2005
Another addition to the recent spate of single-subject cookbooks, this volume takes the trend to a monomaniacal extreme. Offering 60 variations of pies-fruit-filled, cream, custard, chiffon or "candy"-this compilation focuses entirely on dessert; no savory pies or tarts confuse its mission. But the recipes are easy to follow and generally appealing: a Maple Nutmeg Custard Pie is decadently sweet and eggy, and an old-fashioned Peach Pie tastes like the essence of summer. Moreover, it's comforting to find recipes for certain heirloom pies, like the Chess and the Tyler, named for John Tyler, the 10th president of the United States. This cookbook has its tics, however. Only some of the pies are photographed, leaving the appearance of the Chocolate Tweed Pie and the Date Bar Pie entirely up to the reader's imagination. The recipe for Cranberry Mincemeat Pie gives no instructions on how to prepare mincemeat. And the author tends to overexplain the obvious, reminding his audience that before buying a large rolling pin, one should make sure one's "work area allows... ample room to maneuver," and that pie pans are also called pie plates and pie dishes. This is information that the true pie-lover surely already knows.

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.