Great Pies & Tarts (Hardcover)

~ CAROLE WALTER (Author), ARTHUR SCHWARTZ (Foreword) "Flours run the gamut from smooth and delicate to grainy..." (more)
Key Phrases: classic tart pastry, grated navel, nut crumb crust, United States, Flaky Pie Pastry, New Jersey (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For anyone interested in baking terrific pies and tarts, this is the book to own. Such a fuss is made over pie and tart disasters, over the uncanny inability of some to make a perfect pie crust dough and whatnot, and really, to no end. So what? Go work on your perfect golf swing. The thrill is in the trying, again and again, and Walter makes you want to try.

Two minor caveats: The layout for the front end of the book, which includes the vital section called "The Primer," is unfortunate. It's all but impossible to look at for any length of time, let alone to read and study. Page after page of four columns of black type per page is tiresome on the eyes. If Carole Walter baked pies that looked like this layout, she'd be thrown out of the state fair.

The other minor note is the extensive use of the food processor. Either have one first, or buy one with this book.

Beyond that, the challenge is clear. If Fruity Viennese Linzer Tart sounds good to you, this is the place to learn absolutely everything you need to know to make it. Or how about the classic Key Lime Pie? Or a White Chocolate Caffe Tart?

If you get into this book and embrace the idea that practice makes perfect, or thereabouts, you are in for some exciting baking. The pastry doughs and crunchy shells are worth the price of admission, because once mastered, your only limitations for mixing up shells and ingredients are your own imagination.

Carole Walter may have written the greatest liberation text of the year. You shall overcome any residual fear you might have of trying your hand at pie and tart baking if you follow this book from page one to the sweet, sweet end. -- Schuyler Ingle

From Library Journal

Walter (Great Cakes, LJ 10/15/91) has been a cooking teacher for more than 25 years, and her experience shows in this authoritative guide to pastry making. The first section, "Before You Begin," covers ingredients, equipment, and techniques in detail; a lengthy Fruit and Berry Glossary is a particularly helpful resource. Then, because so many home cooks suffer from "fear of pie crust," Walter includes a Primer, a mini-cooking course that describes step by step how to make two basic pie and tart pastries and four classic recipes?an apple and a lemon meringue pie, and two European-style fruit tarts (one with pastry cream and one without). Then come more than 150 recipes, from Big Easy Apple Tart to Devilish Chocolate Candy Tart to Strawberry Ice Cream Pie; there are more than 40 pages of crust recipes alone, as well as cobblers, lower-fat treats, and some savory pies and tarts. Walter writes well, and her instructions are clear and thorough; novices will welcome her book, but seasoned bakers will also find it useful both as a reference and as a source of inspiration. An essential purchase.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 488 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter (April 7, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 051770398X
• ISBN-13: 978-0517703984
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #460,923 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #32 in

  Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Baking > Pies

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Everything you wanted to know about pies..., June 19, 2000

By	wskrz "wskrz" (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

I affectionately refer to this book as "The Pie Bible." It's almost as big and contains all the information that you could ever want to know about making pies. Walter has done a fantastic job of compiling all this information in one easy to read and follow source.

Even if you're too intimidated by handmade pie crust, this book will put you at ease and you'll probably never use frozen pie crusts again. Walter's Flaky Pie Pastry I (pg. 98) is my most used pie crust and has never failed. Step-by-step instructions with photographs help you through the dough making process. If regular pie dough isn't enough, there are many other pie dough recipes, such as Cheddar Pastry, Sweet Cream Biscuit Dough, Krispie Meringue Crust and Goof Proof Pastry.

The recipes in this book range from the traditional to the original, sweet to savory. The book also provides an indispensible guide to fruits and berries and how to choose the best ones for pies. If you're not quite sure what recipe to try based on your experience level with baking pies, not to worry. There are handy difficulty ratings for each recipe to guide you before you start.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, thorough book for pie baking, July 12, 1999

By A Customer

I found this book to be indispensible for baking pies. I have hundreds for cookbooks and this is one of the most used book of all the ones I own. The directions are clear and all the recipes I have tried are delicious and have gotten rave reviews from other tasters. I especially liked the pear tart, blueberry pie with crumb topping, and sweet potato pie. I will be buying one as a gift this Christmas for my best friend, because she keeps borrowing it.Great book!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good recipes, poor organization, February 17, 2001

By A Customer

Although there are some good recipes in this book (blueberry tart with walnut topping is one) I spent a lot of time flipping pages, trying to find information. I feel like the book could have been organized more effectively, which is unfortunate considering how much useful information it contains. Overall a good addition to the recipe library, but I often find myself using other references to supplement this book. Also, in a few cases I question the techniques or ingredients, for instance the use of baking powder in the food processor version of the "flaky pie crust."