Great Pies & Tarts: Over 150 Recipes to Bake, Share, and Enjoy [Hardcover]

Carole Walter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2006

Carole Walter makes it easy for even beginners to create delicious pies and tarts. Simple, step-by-step instructions show how to make both American-style pie pastry and French-style tart pastry. Also included are the four basic recipes on which all other pies and tarts are based. Finall, Walter offers over 150 recipes for both sweet and savory pies, tarts, and sauces, including:

• Blueberry Crumb Pie with Warm Blueberry Sauce
• Java Eggnog Pie
• Flourless Macaroon Tart in Almond Nut Pastry
• Apple Tarte Tatin
• Wild Mushroom Tart with Savory Streusel

This accessible book is a must-have for beginners and an ideal reference for experienced pastry chefs.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

A Cooking Tip from Great Pies and Tarts

Testing Fruit

When you want to know if a particular fruit is a good candidate for a pie or a tart, here is my "secret" for testing it for moisture, texture, color, and flavor.

Peel, core, and cut an apple (as an example) into 1/4 inch slices.  Place the pieces in an ovenproof glass dish (about 8-ounce capacity).  Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar, and bake it at 350 degrees F. for 15 minutes, or until the juices are bubbling.  Let the fruit cool for at least 15 minutes, then invert it onto a small plate.  Note the amount of liquid that is present and how well the apple slices retain their shape.  If it is of importance, check their color, and finally, taste them for flavor.

If the fruit is not too watery or mushy, use it for baking.  Adjust the sweetening in the recipe to your taste, adding a touch more lemon juice if the fruit needs a lift.  If the fruit is on the watery side, add a bit more thickening to the filling.  I have used this method primarily for apples and pears, but you can test the waters with other fruits as well.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Gramercy (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517228076
• ISBN-13: 978-0517228074
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #698,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #73 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Baking > Pies

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource for Baking Great Pies, December 29, 2007

By 

Leonard Mayer "Instructor" (Bronx, New York) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Great Pies & Tarts: Over 150 Recipes to Bake, Share, and Enjoy (Hardcover)

I think this book on Great Pies & Tarts is fantastic. It provides many wonderful recipes. But the best aspect of the book is that the author provides key insights into how to bake a pie and strategies for troubleshooting your pie when your pie did not come out as well as you would have liked. It tells you the basics that you should know if you bake any pie. It describes details in pie making that you would only get with experience. So if you want to start off pie making with guidance, avoiding simple mistakes, and with knowledge of required basics, then this cook book is necessary. Moreover, with the knowledge provided by the author, you are inspired to create wonderful pies. It is not just a book with recipes. It is a book which empowers you to create great pies. The only improvement I would recommend is that it would be helpful if every cookbook provided pictures of the result of every recipe, which would be labor intensive. Otherwise this book is more than just a cookbook, it is a source of inspiration and experience.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful resource!, November 4, 2010

By 

Tara Bazzone (Gulfport MS) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Great Pies & Tarts: Over 150 Recipes to Bake, Share, and Enjoy (Hardcover)

I have loved making pies since childhood. The visual appeal of tart making came later. This book provides not only satisfying recipes but also wonderful insights on how to improve your skills. Holidays taste better because of this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book but...., November 20, 2009

By 

Geraldine Domareck (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Great Pies & Tarts: Over 150 Recipes to Bake, Share, and Enjoy (Hardcover)

why did the publisher take it out of print? I am an intermediate cook, who wanted to improve my pie baking skills. I've had my copy of this book for a few years and frequently refer to it. It is a gold mine of information, as well as fabulous recipes for the novice to the expert. My sister visited, spied it on my shelf,and in true sister fashion, exclaimed "so that's your secret to success." I knew she wanted a copy of her own. I was so disappointed to find out the book was out of print. I was able to find a copy through Amazon, but a book like this is like belonging to a family book club -- "oh I tried Carole's..." or "check to see what Carole says about..." or "you have to make...". It's definitely worth tracking down a copy.