Today’s Bookmarks review features Pie by Genevieve Taylor. What a treat, as we love a good pie… who doesn’t?
We haven’t met the world’s lone pie-hater yet either!
Buttery pastry & rich fillings – tasty, hearty & homely. What’s not to like?
You can, of course, find bad examples – the infamous petrol station pie springs to mind – cold, pale, soggy & bland. A very poor substitute for the wonderful offerings in this book.
They’re not difficult things to make. A bit of preparation maybe, but once they’re in the oven, they look after themselves. No last minute running around. Just the gorgeous smell of bubbling fillings & pastry browning to heighten the appetite.
This book expertly guides you through the whole process.
There’s an early chapter covering pastry – different types, methods, techniques & tips.
Then lots of examples of what to do with it.
Hot pies, cold pies, sweet & savoury pies.
Pies from Britain & the rest of Europe , North Africa, America and the Caribbean.
It features meat & vegetarian options.
Some very traditional pies such as steak & ale, cheese & onion and raised game. Others are far less familiar – Tunisian egg pastry pie, creamed celeriac & Serrano ham tartlets, greengage & ginger strudels.
There are a hundred recipes in all, so you’ll never run out of ideas!
The wonderful photography by Mike Cooper is sure to inspire you. The pies are beautifully staged with wooden boards, old knives, vintage enamelware, tins & crockery. The lighting is superb and the images really live.
Recipes are clear & concise – each neatly fitting onto its own page so there’s no turning backwards & forwards.
When it comes to pie, home-made is definitely best so this book is a must for any kitchen shelf. Pies can provide the perfect meal for a relaxed family gathering, a light lunch or a dinner party.
We defy you to read this book and not want to get baking.
So what’s keeping you – there’s pie to be made!!
Pie is also available from Hive and Amazon.
Here’s a little preview of the first pie we tried from the book. It’s a leek, blue cheese & wild garlic pie – an interesting combination of ingredients that could all be locally sourced… and truly delicious which is the most important thing. Blog post with recipe to follow in a couple of days!
[Many thanks to Bloomsbury for this review copy]