Reviews Cooking, Food And Wine Book

Amazon.com Review
Reading about the ins and outs of baking the perfect, flaky pie crust is a little like reading about how to achieve the perfect golf swing: the proof is in the doing. And it often takes a remarkably intuitive reader to understand exactly what the author is getting at. Not so the work of Rose Levy Beranbaum, the author who gave us The Cake Bible. If ever there was a cookbook author who could place her hands on top of yours, putting you through the proper motions, helping you arrive at just the right touch, Beranbaum is the one.

The Pie and Pastry Bible begins with the crust. The author confesses right up front that 21 years ago, when she first began her quest for the perfect crust, "it was a complete mystery to me." She wasn't looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but something she could consistently turn out at a moment's notice. The ideal pie crust, she writes, "has light, flaky layers, but also ... is tender, and nicely browned, with a flavor good enough to eat by itself."

In a book that stretches to about 700 pages long, her favorite pie crust is the first recipe: Perfect Flaky and Tender Cream Cheese Pie Crust. Typically, Beranbaum lists the ingredients by measure and weight for three separate sizes of pies, then gives instructions for the food processor or by hand.

After 70 pages of pie crusts, tart crusts, and crumb pie crusts of every imaginable make and combination, Beranbaum starts with fruit pies. Her first (of many) detailed charts shows exactly what her ratios are of fruit to sugar to cornstarch. Then each recipe (start with The Best All American Apple Pie) includes pointers for success as well as several variations on the theme. Under the headline "Understanding," Beranbaum goes that extra mile by taking the trouble to explain just why something works the way it does.

If you are only going to own one cookbook for pie and pastry recipes of every imaginable stripe and combination, you can't go wrong with this one. It's the Bible, after all. --Schuyler Ingle

From Publishers Weekly
Precision is the trademark style of Los Angeles Times-syndicated food columnist Berenbaum, a baking and chocolate industry consultant and author (The Cake Bible) who demystifies the art (and science) of pie and pastry making. Exacting instructions in this compendium of sweet and savory "how-tos" (achieve the flakiest pie crust, shape and bake croissants, apply decorative techniques, etc.) may open new doors for daunted home bakers and dessert dabblers, while offering serious amateurs an additional resource for creative inspiration. Recipe ingredients are given in both volume and weight (ounces and grams). Pies and tarts include sweet (e.g., Fig Tart with Mascarpone Cream) and savory (e.g., Deep Dish Chicken Pot Pies; Roasted Red Pepper and Poblano Quiche). The pastry section includes classic French puff pastry, Danish pastry, phyllo and strudel doughs among others. End chapters cover fundamentals like techniques (decorating, measuring ingredients), ingredients (often with stated brand preferences) and appropriate equipment (mixers, tart pans, etc.). Accompanying sections to recipesA"Pointers for Success" and "Understanding" (notes on food chemistry)Aclearly detail the scientific underpinnings of the baking process. Indeed a "bible" for novices and serious amateurs alike, this time-tested encyclopedic tome distills Berenbaum's 21 years dedicated to the pastry arts in a clearly written, thoroughly documented manual. First serial to Family Circle; BOMC/Good Cook main selection; BOMC alternate.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Over 20 years ago, Beranbaum, author of the award-winning The Cake Bible (LJ 8/88), began her search for the perfectly flaky and tender pie crust. Now, with the publication of her latest culinary tome, Beranbaum is ready to share her findings with eager pastry cooks everywhere. The Pie and Pastry Bible is an impressive collection of more than 200 recipes for sweet and savory treats, including pies, puff pastry, biscuits, and fillings. Both culinary novices and experienced bakers will appreciate the precise preparation instructions provided for every recipe. Nothing is left to chance. Each recipe's ingredients are given in both volume and weight (U.S. and metric). Many recipes have additional pointers, and a chapter on ingredients and equipment is also included. From Classic Blueberry Pie to Danish Pastry Twists, there is something tempting for everyone. Highly recommended for all public libraries.AJohn Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Great for the Serious Pie/Pastry Baker
I bought this book because I loved Rose's Bread Bible and I wanted to make really good pies and pastries. Before using this book I had not had a lot of experience making pies, I had made a couple apple pies and pumpkin pies, but they were all kind of blah. Not anymore!! Even with my little experience Rose transformed me into an awesome pie baker!! After I made my first pie from the Pie Bible, people were telling me it was the best pie they had ever had in their life! Now, I have to warn you, her pies do take a while to make. In many cases it's an all day (or multiple days) affair. However, I promise you, if you diligently follow her instructions, the results will be worth it!

perfect pie
This is a great book to learn from. If you are going to take the trouble to make your own pie crust, why not learn to make the best possible one right off the bat? Take the time to learn it correctly, and it will become easier and easier with each one you make. Eventually, the book can be left on the shelf. Pie is my absolute favorite dessert in the entire world, but it can be my least favorite if it is not made well (as is often the case in the U.S. I am sorry to say). I watched my husband eat most of a cherry pie that I made last night from the season's first cherries with a certain joy I had never seen him express when eating pies that I made from online recipes or simple cookbooks. The details in this cookbook for chilling the dough, not overhandling, and using the best ingredients were great. The pictures in the book are also very inspiring. Thanks to the author!

Exceptional book for hardcore bakers
First off: If you are a home baker that bakes sometimes and uses general cookbooks (i.e. Betty Crocker), this book is not for you. If you are someone who gets angry and frustrated over detailed instructions and is not patient enough to read a recipe throughly before beginning, this book is not for you. If you are someone who cannot pay attention to detail and is not meticulous and careful while baking, this book is not for you.

This book is without a doubt, for the hardcore, highly experienced baker. As a professional baker, I find this book indispensable in my work. It's extremely detailed and thorough--just how it should be. Rose doesn't write her books for the novice baker--other writers do that.

All this being said, there are some editing errors (not the fault of Rose), and everyone using this book (as well as The Cake Bible and The Bread Bible) needs to download the updated book erratas [...]

With the updated corrections, the book is better than ever.