Pie: 300 Tried-And-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie

"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. 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." Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Pie is the most comprehensive and accessible book ever written on the subject of American pie. An instructive, anecdotal introductory chapter walks home bakers through pastry making. Answers to questions home bakers want to know. The only resource a home baker needs.

By providing answers to important questions and an instructive, anecdotal introductory chapter on pastry making, Haedrich has created the only resource a home baker needs.

Ken Haedrich is an internationally acclaimed food and travel writer, cooking teacher, and cookbook author. A native of New Jersey and former Navy Seabee, Haedrich has traveled the world, living everywhere from the rich flatlands of Mississippi to the lush tropical island of Diego Garcia. Now, settled in both Annapolis, Maryland, and the placid town of Rumney, New Hampshire, Haedrich believes that long, bleak winters are perfect conditions for igniting any ardent home cook's creativity. The author of eight cookbooks, Haedrich won an IACP Cookbook Award for Home for the Holidays (Bantam, 1992), and Country Baking (Bantam, 1990) was nominated for the same award. The New York Times voted Country Baking a top holiday pick, and Publishers Weekly named it one of the top five cookbooks of 1990. In addition, Haedrich wrote The Maple Syrup Cookbook (Storey Books, 1989), Country Breakfasts (Bantam, 1994), Simple Desserts (Bantam, 1995, out of print), Feeding the Healthy Vegetarian Family (Bantam, 1998), Soup Makes the Meal (Harvard Common Press, 2001), and Pie (Harvard Common Press, 2004). Ken Haedrich is a regular contributor to Bon Appétit, Cooking Light, Better Homes & Gardens, Vegetarian Times, Eating Well, Family Fun, and Disney magazine. He has also written for Food & Wine, Horticulture, Parenting, Yankee, and National Geographic Traveler and has appeared on several cooking shows and “Good Morning America.”