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The Pie and Pastry Bible
Books: CookBooks: Cake Baking: Item 8
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The Pie and Pastry Bibleby Rose Levy Beranbaum
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23 of 27 people found the following review helpful: A True Baking Treasure. Very Professional., February 23, 2004 Reviewer:B. Marold (Bethlehem, PA United States) - 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?
Product Review
Reading about the ins and outs of baking the perfect, flaky pie crust is a little like reading about how to achieve the perfect golf swing: the proof is in the doing. And it often takes a remarkably intuitive reader to understand exactly what the author is getting at. Not so the work of Rose Levy Beranbaum, the author who gave us The Cake Bible. If ever there was a cookbook author who could place her hands on top of yours, putting you through the proper motions, helping you arrive at just the right touch, Beranbaum is the one.
The Pie and Pastry Bible begins with the crust. The author confesses right up front that 21 years ago, when she first began her quest for the perfect crust, "it was a complete mystery to me." She wasn't looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but something she could consistently turn out at a moment's notice. The ideal pie crust, she writes, "has light, flaky layers, but also is tender, and nicely browned, with a flavor good enough to eat by itself."
In a book that stretches to about 700 pages long, her favorite pie crust is the first recipe: Perfect Flaky and Tender Cream Cheese Pie Crust. Typically, Beranbaum lists the ingredients by measure and weight for three separate sizes of pies, then gives instructions for the food processor or by hand.
After 70 pages of pie crusts, tart crusts, and crumb pie crusts of every imaginable make and combination, Beranbaum starts with fruit pies. Her first (of many) detailed charts shows exactly what her ratios are of fruit to sugar to cornstarch. Then each recipe (start with The Best All American Apple Pie) includes pointers for success as well as several variations on the theme. Under the headline "Understanding," Beranbaum goes that extra mile by taking the trouble to explain just why something works the way it does.
If you are only going to own one cookbook for pie and pastry recipes of every imaginable stripe and combination, you can't go wrong with this one. It's the Bible, after all. --Schuyler Ingle
From Publishers Weekly
Precision is the trademark style of Los Angeles Times-syndicated food columnist Berenbaum, a baking and chocolate industry consultant and author (The Cake Bible) who demystifies the art (and science) of pie and pastry making. Exacting instructions in this compendium of sweet and savory "how-tos" (achieve the flakiest pie crust, shape and bake croissants, apply decorative techniques, etc.) may open new doors for daunted home bakers and dessert dabblers, while offering serious amateurs an additional resource for creative inspiration. Recipe ingredients are given in both volume and weight (ounces and grams). Pies and tarts include sweet (e.g., Fig Tart with Mascarpone Cream) and savory (e.g., Deep Dish Chicken Pot Pies; Roasted Red Pepper and Poblano Quiche). The pastry section includes classic French puff pastry, Danish pastry, phyllo and strudel doughs among others. End chapters cover fundamentals like techniques (decorating, measuring ingredients), ingredients (often with stated brand preferences) and appropriate equipment (mixers, tart pans, etc.). Accompanying sections to recipesA"Pointers for Success" and "Understanding" (notes on food chemistry)Aclearly detail the scientific underpinnings of the baking process. Indeed a "bible" for novices and serious amateurs alike, this time-tested encyclopedic tome distills Berenbaum's 21 years dedicated to the pastry arts in a clearly written, thoroughly documented manual. First serial to Family Circle; BOMC/Good Cook main selection; BOMC alternate.
Copyright 1998 Reed business Information, Inc.
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