Peckish Sister's Reviews
Cookbook Reviews
The Pie and Pastry Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Scribner - 1998
This is a great book for learning pastry technique. However, it is not a cookbook for you if you like to whip something together in 20 minutes. It is important to read, read and read again. Reading the recipe, the background on that type of pastry and all of the additional information like Pointers for Success and Understanding can be critical for successfully completing a recipe. It will lead you to success and prevent mistakes. I suggest stocking up on Post-Its. Several times I started with the food processor method and ended up finishing the dough by hand as I skipped places in the book. Many recipes will take all day with repeated chilling times. So plan ahead to be sure you have all the ingredients and enough time. The directions are excellent, but again, only if you read them thoroughly. I love that she tells you how to make the dough using different machines or by hand; that is often the first thing that I will change in a recipe. I also love the option of measuring by volume or weight, for me it really helps with fruit and vegetables. I love the wonderful surprises in this book. Who would have expected meatloaf? I have so much left to learn and experience from this book and am really looking forward to trying to master the different types of pastries. My family has also enjoyed this baking experience and it makes a great project for the whole family. You may want to think twice about baking something to take to an event that your family does not attend; after watching you labor over something delicious all day, they may not let you out of the house with it. I also think it helps to make a recipe more than once, as everything seems to go smoother with familiarity with the recipe and practice. The pictures and diagrams are also inspirational. I really look forward to cooking through her other cookbooks.