Erin Jeanne McDowell knows pie. She is a contributing baker to the New York Times, she writes a biweekly baking column for Food52, she is a food stylist for Sift and recipe editor for PureWow and basically is all over the internet talking about the foods she loves to bake, and at the top of that list is: pie. From the days she spent baking pie with her grandmother to present day, McDowell loves everything about pie, and this book shows that.
The Book on Pie starts out how you expect a cookbook on pie to start—with the usual talk of equipment and ingredients. There are lots of important tips on making the storing, freezing, and refreshing pies; on troubleshooting problems with dough or parbaked crusts; on rolling dough and transferring it to the pie pan. And the best part of that is that there are lots of pictures. There are pictures of dough that is too wet, too dry, and just right so you can tell where your dough fits in. There are also pictures of blind baked and parbaked crusts, so you can see how they look when they are underbaked, overbaked, and just right.
And then it’s on to the recipes. McDowell starts with the doughs. First up is the classic All-Buttah Pie Dough, and then it is off to a wealth of other ideas, like Chocolate All-Buttah, Gluten-Free, Vegan/Dairy-Free, Cornmeal, Golden Cheese, Cookie Crusts, Olive Oil Crusts, Crumb Crusts, and Phyllo Dough Crust. There are classics like the Hot-Water Crust and a Rough Puff Pastry, and then there are the ones that spark your imagination, like the Meringue Crust, the Cereal-Treat Crust, and Haystack Crust.
Next it’s on to Décor and Toppings. If you’re looking to make a simple crimped crust or use a fork to add texture to the crust, that’s here. But there are also ideas for using lattice, cutouts, braids, checkerboards, textures, and marbling. You can add garnishes, swirls, or even a bacon lattice to top your pie. If you want to add another layer of flavor to the top, you can use a variety of whipped creams, marshmallow topping, meringue, streusel, fruit glaze, chocolate drippy glaze, or even a biscuit topping.
And then it’s on to the fillings. From fruits to custards to creams and finally to savory pies, there are again a wealth of ideas to tempt your imagination. And mixed in with all these amazing pie ideas are tips for tarts and galettes, hand pies, slab pies, and mini pies. So you can try the Whole-Apple Dumplings or the Jam Cookie Tart, the Rose Peach Pie or the Blood Orange Brulee Pie. There is a classic Pumpkin Pie, but also Carrot Cake Custard Pie, and Tres Leches Slab Pie. Or you can try the Black Forest Pie, Peanut Butter-Banana Cream Pie, Eton Mess Pie, or even Breakfast Pie.
If you’re looking for something less sweet, there is also the Chicken Pot Slab Pie, the BLT Quiche, Croque Monsieur (or Madame) Pielet, Beef and Mushroom Pie, Shrimp-Boil Pie, Ratatouille Galette, or Frybread Taco Pie. You can use one of her recipes as is or with one of the many variations she suggests. Or you can just take the separate facets and make your own creation. The possibilities in The Book on Pie are endless.
I am a big fan of cookbooks, but I appreciate them so much more when they offer up possibilities that I have never thought of. The Book on Pie does that. Use cereal treats as a pie crust? What a great idea! Birthday-Cake Pie? Reuben Pie? Pie-ce Cream Sandwiches—mini pies with ice cream in between? Genius! This is certainly a cookbook that could be used for beginners—all the basic information is there. But I think this is far better for those who have a few pies under their belt already. They know the basics, they’ve made some pies, and they are hungry for more. For more ideas, more instruction, and more pies. The Book on Pie offers up so many interesting and delicious possibilities that an intermediate baker could become a master piemaker based on baking their way through this book alone.
The Book on Pie is truly a unique pie cookbook with a lifetime’s worth of lessons, and pie fans should definitely invest in a copy for their own bookshelf.
Egalleys for The Book on Pie were provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt through NetGalley, with many thanks.
