Customer Reviews

Retro Pies: A Collection of Celebrated Family Recipes

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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I have now made 6 different pies from collection.

My first comment is that the crust recipes are FABULOUS. I have never made better crusts, and I routinely get compliments on how flavorful, flaky, and golden they taste.

My second comment is that the fruit pies by and large seem to work out perfectly well, aren't too sweet, and are easy recipes to follow.

I have been unable to make any of the cream pies work. The recipe instructions are insufficient (for example, they don't tell you how *long* to cook down the custard, or how thick it should be before you pour it in to the crust). If you have no prior experience with cream pies, you will almost certainly get it wrong. I just finished making the Sugar Baby Pie. Even though the recipe says to bake it for 30 minutes until it sets, I baked it for 50 and it's still practically liquid. Given that the recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar and 1/2 pint cream, I find it hard to believe it ever *will* set under heat.

So if you want a pie cookbook that sometimes gets it right, this is the one for you.

I've owned this book for a number of years and bake out of it every now and then. I always forget how great the pies from it are until I make one. So far they've all turned out very well. The only recipe I had some issues with was the one using all lard in the crust. The crust was sure flakey but it had slight porky undertones to it that didn't compliment that fruit filling of the final pie. The recipes are accurate but do assume the cook has some pre-existing baking skills. A novice pie maker or baker might have a little difficulty but probably not much. Other than the one little problem with the crust recipe I've been very happy with the outcome of the rest of the pie recipes I've made from this cookbook. It's a delightful and delicious addition to the category of pie cookbooks.

I love these cookbooks, I have ordered three of them, one for me and two for Christmas gifts. One of my hobbies is collecting recipe books and this is one of the best!!

In Retro Pies: A Collection Of Celebrated Family Recipes, freelance writer and nostalgia buff Linda Everett has brought together under one cover a culinary wealth of pies for all occasions. Beginning with an introduction to the history of pies, the preparation advice and recipes are clustered together in chapters devoted to "Pie Crust Clinic"; "Main Dish Pies"; Fruit Pies"; and "Custard Pies". From New England Portside Pie; Creole Pork Pie; Virginia Real Whiskey Apple Pie; and Rogue Valley Streusel Pear Pie; to Country Bridge Mincemeat Pie; Abe Lincoln's Favorite Lemon Pie; and Heartland Butterscotch Pie, Retro Pies is a wonderful celebration of the role pies play in American cuisine -- and a must for cooks serving up meal time delights for their pie-loving families!