cover image PIE: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie

PIE: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie

Ken Haedrich, . . Harvard Common, $37.95 (639pp) ISBN 978-1-55832-254-7

No, that number's not a typo: here are 300 recipes for sweet pies, with fillings ranging from fruits to nuts, ice cream to custard. Haedrich, a cooking teacher and cookbook author (Apple Pie Perfect , etc.), shares an astonishing quantity of recipes, advice, pie history and musings on issues such as the butter vs. lard debate and his passion for sour cherries. His zeal and solid expertise make this book a worthy addition to the baker's bookshelf. There are 57 pages of information on pie crusts alone, but Haedrich's tone is clear and encouraging, as he addresses pie pans, rolling pins, pastry edges and more. The recipes range from All-Rhubarb Pie to more exotic offerings such as Watermelon Rind Pie and Carrot Custard Pie (Haedrich also includes 25 recipes for apple pie). Pie snobs, take note: each crust recipe gives instructions for making the pastry by hand, with an electric mixer or in a food processor. Similarly, Haedrich assures readers it's all right to use frozen fruit. Intrepid pie makers will be pleased with the recommendations throughout for other cookbooks and magazines, and the list of resources includes useful information on baker's catalogues, fruit farms and nut growers. (Oct.)

Forecast: This should be a strong fall seller, pubbing in time for apple and pumpkin season. The publisher plans a $50,000 marketing campaign, including a 12-city "Pie Clinic" author tour and appearances at regional book fairs.