The Pie and Pastry Bible

Rating:
Summary: This is a great book for the serious baker.
Review: When I heard that Rose Levy Beranbaum was coming out with a new cookbook, I was very excited. The author of the Cake Bible and Rose's Christmas Cookies, she is known for her excellent recipes and very detailed instructions. Her new book, The Pie and Pastry Bible is no exception. The book contains not only 315 delectable recipes for pies, tarts, quiches and pastries but also has sections on techniques, ingredients, and equipment. She extensively covers these topics explaining, for example, how to make the perfect pie crust by giving step-by-step instructions on how to blend and measure flours, roll, cut, shape and bake the crust. In every recipe, if you follow her instructions to the letter, a three star dessert will be your reward.

In reviewing The Pie and Pastry Bible I made the Lemon Pucker Pie, Brownie Puddle, Great Pumpkin Pie, and the Open Faced Designer Apple Pie. Every recipe turned out and tasted wonderful. It is obvious that Rose Levy Berenbaum has tested every recipe to ensure perfect results. This book however, is for the professional or serious baker. To go through this amount of trouble to make something, you must really know and appreciate quality. This is not the sort of book you buy if you want to make something quickly as it could easily frustrate the novice baker. For example, making the apple pie involves many steps. The apples are first cut, mixed with ingredients, macerated for 30 minutes to 3 hours, and then placed in a colander to drain. The liquid is reduced and then re-added to the cut apples with cornstarch. This does result in a wonderful apple flavor, but is it worth the effort? When I weigh the extra time and effort involved, I would rather sacrifice a little taste and make it the old-fashioned easier way. Rose Levy Beranbaum has aimed for perfection and this takes a lot of time and much effort.

This is a great book for the serious baker who wants to make perfect pies and pastries and understand the science behind it. The recipes are given in both volume and weight, which I appreciate. She gives storing instructions for every recipe and pointers for success.

Rating:
Summary: A True Baking Treasure. Very Professional.
Review: One would expect such an authoritative volume on baking to come from a chunky Frenchman with a very tall toque and an accent you can cut with a pastry knife, not from the ever so sweet and coy face smiling at you from the back of the dust jacket of this very large book on a very serious subject. But, this book from this author should be no surprise at all, as it is the middle volume on a trilogy that does for baking what Tolkein did for epic fantasy in 'Lord of the Rings'.

Before I even start to talk about the virtues of the book, just consider the difference in content you are receiving from Rose Levy Beranbaum's three books when compared to Ina Garten's three cookbooks. For a 30% addition to the price, Beranbaum is giving you approximately 300% more information. Another comparison is to compare Beranbaum's 2000 pages with the very authoritative sounding 'King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion' weighing in at a mere 607 pages. That is just to put these works in perspective.

To most newbies, cooking may seem relatively easy, but one glimpse at what you need to make a decent pie crust has most novices running to the megamart refrigerated cases for those premade Pillsbury pie crusts. First, you have to pick the right ingredients. Can I use all-purpose flour or should I use pastry flour. Can I use King Arthur or should I use White Lily? Should I use butter or vegetable shortening or lard? Should I add vinegar or not? Should I add an egg yolk or not? Then, you have to be concerned about the weather. Is the barometer rising or falling? Is the air humid or dry? Then comes the technique. Do I use a pastry cutter or do I use my hands? How long do I work the flour and fat before adding the liquid? How much do I work it after adding the liquid? How long do I rest it before rolling it out? How do I lay the crust in the pan to avoid shrinking? What kind of pan do I use to bake the pie? Do I blind bake the crust for this pie? How long do I bake? What do I look for to know the bottom crust is done?

I'm exaggerating a little because many of these variables are usually well enough in control that they don't ruin a pie. But, every variable offers a way for things to go wrong. Now, millions of people, myself included, have successfully made good pie crusts without having read Ms. Beranbaum's book, but millions of people, myself included, have made pie crusts which just didn't make the grade. Rose Levy Beranbaum tells you why, and gives you all the information you need to avoid each and every problem.

One of the very few problems I find with Ms. Beranbaum's work is that there is so much information, it is difficult to whip out a simple recipe or find the solution to a simple problem without literally studying the information for some time. But, the only thing that means is that this book, however good, may not be for everyone. For the casual baker of pies, I strongly recommend Wayne Harley Brachman's 'American Desserts'.

Ms. Beranbaum's book is for the serious baker and for people who really like to read about baking in order to troll for ideas and projects. The depth of information exceeds virtually every other work I have seen so far. Where other books give you measurements by both weight and volume, Ms. Beranbaum gives you measurements in both Metric and English system units. Where others recommend a fat to use, Ms. Beranbaum explains why the fat of choice should be used and how to make intelligent substitutions with various kinds of ingredients. While I have not yet read Shirley Corriher's book 'Cookwise', Rose gives me the same kind of intimate knowledge of my ingredients and techniques as I would expect from Shirley. Rose even quotes Shirley's recipe for Southern biscuits as the model recipe for same.

Speaking of biscuits, if I were to write a tutorial on pastry making, I would probably start with biscuits. As Beranbaum points out, the techniques and results when making biscuits stand you almost exactly halfway between pastry crusts and cake making. I would add that it also puts you very close to the bread baking world, with a product where the time between cracking open the flour canister and pulling the finished product out of the oven can be less than 30 minutes. This makes biscuit baking a perfect intro. to baking in general. Needless to say, Ms. Beranbaum covers biscuits with her usual thoroughness.

I would very strongly recommend this and all of Ms. Beranbaum's books on baking as a perfect second book on their respective subjects. As a first book, get 'Baking with Julia' and follow the directions with the diligence of a Viennese pastry master. Very highly recommend to those in love with baking. How can you possibly resist so sweet a smile on Ms. Beranbaum's face as she kneads her dough on the dust jacket?

Rating:
Summary: Long enough for a bible, but not quite good enough
Review: This book tends to read at times as though it were longing to be classified as a science text. This is not necessarily bad. I found it very interesting to read about what makes a good pie crust: a low protein flour for tenderness, the proper fat blending technique to ensure flakiness, adequate chilling to ensure minimal distortion during baking, etc. She is very thorough and covers EVERY aspect of making pies and pastry. However, the results and the experience of using this book in the kitchen don't quite live up to the anticipation.

While the fillings are generally about as delicious as they come, there are a few serious errors (I was very careful about measuring and using an accurate thermometer, and the Lemon Merangue Pie still came out like Lemon soup, twice), and the techniques required to acheive these results can be VERY time consuming. If I'm going to spend this kind of time, the recipe better be accurate. In a similar vein, the recipes for sauces, ice creams, and danish produce wonderful results. But again, do not underestimate the amount of time involved in producing them.

The verdict on Rose's pie crust is more problematic. Have you ever tried kneading and pounding pie crust in a ziploc bag? Try it and watch everything stick to the inside; I don't care how cold she says it should be. It sticks and is a mess. Also, she seems to be striving for the ultimate in tenderness for her pie crusts. But using a combination of soft pastry flour, plus vinegar, plus baking soda, plus a two step blending technique (a technique which, minus the ziploc bag, can be very good) results in a crust that is, in my opinion, too tender. It loses some of the crispness that makes that makes pies, especially fruit pies, so wonderful. Also, watch out for that blending technique. If you pound a portion of the butter into the dough with a rolling pin like she says, unless you know what finished dough should look like, the butter pieces may very likely remain too large and will result in them separating out and melting during baking. Another disaster; trust me, it happened.

This is a good effort, but is only for someone who loves pies and pastry and already has a good knowledge of baking which will enable them to slightly modify certain problematic techniques and recipes.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Book -- A True Bible
Review: This really is a glorious book, a must-have for any serious baker. Her cream cheese crust is unparalleled in my experience for achieving the perfect flaky texture of a pie crust. And the chocolate-peanut butter tart has quickly become a family favorite. Detailed recipes are a great help for the relative novices out there. For the more experienced cook, you can easily incorporate many of her ideas and tips without taking too much extra time. And I've been known to take a few shortcuts too, still with excellent results.

It's quite helpful how she provides ingredients by weight or measure, something that's rare for an American cookbook. And her tips on understanding what's happening "behind the scenes" of the recipe appeal to the amateur chemist in me.

I also own the Cake Bible by Beranbaum and, while it is the cookbok that won awards, I far prefer the Pie and Pastry Bible. The recipes suit my taste better and are much more likely to elicit the "oohs" and "aahs" that good cooks love to hear.

Rating:
Summary: My kind of cookbook
Review: This is a cookbook for the perfectionist. If you like to understand exactly why things work the way they do so that you can be in control of your baking projects, then this is the book for you. If you get excited at the thought of being empowered to create pastries more delectable than the very best you have ever tasted at the finest gourmet pastry shoppes, then you owe it to yourself to get this book.

If you'd rather not be bothered with too many niggling details and just want something quick that reliably comes out OK, even if you use the wrong type of flour, then stick with the Fannie Farmer Cookbook.

Be warned. These recipes generally don't have much margin for sloppiness built into them, the way ones from other cookbooks do. That's why they taste so good when they are done correctly. You should read all of the background information on a topic before you start baking. Rose's backgrounders are interesting, helpful, well-written and will make you a better baker. At the absolute minimum, you must follow the recipes to the letter. No substitutions or shortcuts whatsoever can be allowed unless you've read all the background information so that you know *exactly* what you are doing.

I can see only two legitimate grievances. The structure of the book is sometimes a bit scattered, which often makes it necessary to flip through to a half-dozen different places to get through a single project, and, (although this is not a concern for me) Rose makes no mention that I can see of what sort of adjustments one might make to achieve perfection at 9000 feet above sea level, and I could see how someone up in the Rockies might run into some difficulties.

I can only think of one other "downside": Your own baking will spoil you for anything else.

Rating:
Summary: Such a good book the pages are falling out!
Review: First of all, this is NOT a book for those wanting to make something up quick. If you want a quick and easy dessert, go somewhere else. If you enjoy the process of baking and (even more so) the pleasure of eating homemade goods, this book is for you.

The piecrusts (as other reviewers have noted) are not the easiest. But, they do come out very well. It is possible to use the freezer bags as noted (only one is necessary per piecrust recipe). On the crusts, I recommend using the food processor method. Also, I noticed that it takes a lot less time to bake the crusts than the time recommended in the book. I have never had them become soggy either. Brushing on the egg white after you bake them helps to prevent that.

As for the time-consuming quality of the recipes, be prepared to spend a long time on any one of these. On the Strawberry Lover's Chiffon Pie (my first pie ever to bake and the first from this book), I spent around 9 hours over a two-day period. I just made the Apple Crumb Pie, and it took probably five hours though a lot of that was dead time (i.e., baking or chilling times when I could be doing something else). Before making any of these recipes, carefully read the instructions to get an idea of how long they take.

And, the photography is excellent. It makes you want to make every single one in the book. The Pumpkin Pie and Honeycomb Chiffon Pie are coming up next (that is, after some recipes in her Cake Bible).

The recipes are meticulously detailed. If you follow them EXACTLY, you should get good results. If you take shortcuts or decide that something isn't necessary, you'll get less than perfect results.

The recipes range from traditional favorites like cherry and apple pies to more exotic pies (like the Honeycomb Chiffon pie and Tiramisu). Recipes for savory pies (like Shepherd's Pie and Chicken Pot Pie) are also included.

This is my second favorite cookbook after Rose's The Cake Bible.

Rating:
Summary: Thank you, Rose!
Review: I discovered RLB when I decided to make my own wedding cake. After finding The Cake Bible, I never looked back. My guests still tell me it was the best wedding cake they ever tasted.

While chatting online one day, I admitted that I wasn't very good with pastry. Someone teased me about it; I got ticked off and decided to make myself a pastry expert. Whom else would I turn to but Rose?

Thanks to this book, my pies and pastries are flawless now. And do try making your own strudel using Rose's instructions; thanks to her detailed instructions, it's easier than you'd think. Once you've mastered it, your friends will love you and your enemies will fear you.

To echo other reviewers, this is not a book for those who want something quick and easy, but for the cook who wants to know how and why things work. If you're willing to put in the time and effort, you will be rewarded with superior results.

Rating:
Summary: Too Much Of A Good Thing
Review: I have used Beranbaum's "The Cake Bible" for several years and once I got used to the lay-out [intimidating to begin with] found it really good for special occasion cakes. So I decided to splurge on "The Pie And Pastry Bible." First off, the reviewer who had trouble with the zip-lock bag technique is not alone: nobody can afford that many bags, and nobody can make ANYTHING decent in the kitchen at that level of frustration. I found the famous cream cheese crust came out dense and a bit soggy with fruit fillings, though it does work really well with Kulibiac [Coulibiac]. Mostly, though, I don't think Beranbaum's methods function as well in this book as they did in "TCB" - a birthday cake is an occasion in itself - I'll allow two days to make one. Apple Pie or any fruit pie is what I make for dessert while the roast is roasting or the stew is stewing. I don't want to spend half the afternoon whipping from one section to another under those circumstances. So for piecrusts I'll stick to Jacques Pepin, or Cooks' Illustrated.

Rating:
Summary: A newspaper or cookbook?
Review: Good content, lousy lay out. This reads more like a newspaper than a cookbook. A tart for example, would have you flipping through various parts of the book to get the directions for the crust and the filling. Takes a lot of time to flip back and forth. Probably not too bad for those that like to research and flip back and forth. I gave it a three because the content is rock solid. But the lack of photos and the flipping through several sections of the book deducts two stars.

Rating:
Summary: For Serious Bakers Only
Review: One hates to throw stones at something that will become beloved by many people, but this is one of those cases. The author has spent a lot of time (years in fact) testing and developing recipes for this book. All of the results are contained in this baking cookbook, in glorious and extensive detail. There is so much information, in fact, that it is difficult even for the experienced baker to wade through so much information and detail. It contains everything you could possibly want to know, and a whole lot more.

If you like the Cake Bible, you will love this one about pies and pastries. It is just as complete and thorough. If you a serious home baker, you will find this cookbook indispensable. If you are a professional baker, it is an excellent resource; for example, she describes half a dozen very saleable Danish pastries from the same dough. For the rest of us, however, I must cast a disapproving eye. I doubt that the average home cook will be able to successfully pick his/her way through the material in this cookbook.

Like its predecessor (for which, see) on cakes, it is extremely finicky. It contains an astonishing 75 pages just on pie and tart crusts. The procedures for the former involve an unusual process that makes the dough in a zip lock plastic bag. The recipes are so long and complete, that it is easy to get lost while following the recipes, since this involves quite a bit of jumping around in the text. Also, the layout of the ingredient table is not always clear: some recipes have multiple components, and the division between them in the ingredients' table is not always clear just by looking at them (often, you have to read the recipes to see where the divisions are). The pictures have page numbers for the matching recipes, but the recipes do not have page numbers for the matching pictures.

It does have some nice touches. The ingredient lists both volume and weight, leaving not doubt as to the correct amounts. There is a brief but enlightening exposition on the similarities of puff pastry, croissant, Danish, brioche, strudel, and fillo. The chapter on Equipment has many useful tools and insights not found elsewhere.

On the down side, there are a few editing mistakes: on page 204 there is a reference to page 627 (the correct page is 672), the Creamy and Spicy Crab Tartlets does not list a substitute for tobanjan, the ancho chile powder for Baked Empanadas can be bought premade, the directions for roasting bell peppers for Roasted Red Pepper and Poblano Quiche could be better, Love for Three Oranges says not to use Seville orange zest but a subsidiary recipe she calls for this exact ingredient, the instructions for slicing salmon for Coulibiac needs a diagram, the duxelle mixture for Beef Wellington probably does not require the listed 60 minutes, a proof box for Whole Wheat Croissants can be made easier by simply inverting a large cardboard box over the dough, and the chapter on Ingredients needs to be re-edited and re-organized with more titles (for example, vanilla is in the Thickeners section, but does not appear in the index, gold leaf appears under the Gelatin section and is not listed in the index either). Also, a more detailed Table of Contents would make this book a much more valuable reference. For these reasons, I recommend waiting for a second edition of this book that (hopefully) will have these mistakes corrected.

Like the real Bible, it contains a mountain of information of which only a tiny portion will ever be used, but will be used extensively. If you are developing recipes for publication, or one of those people who supplies all of the pies to the county fair, then this book is for you: an extensive and reliable manual for the assembly line production of baked goods. For the average home cook, I suspect that this book is a little too much. It is, however, a welcome reference to the troublesome task of baking and pastries. They say that one can never have too much information, but in this case, I am not so sure. On the other hand, your chances of success following these recipes are very high.