The Pie Academy - Master the Perfect Crust and 255 Amazing Fillings, with Fruits, Nuts, Creams, Custards, Ice Cream, and More; Expert Techniques for Making Fabulous Pies from Scratch

Pies! No other food brings such rich memories of home baking as pies do for me. My mom was a pie baker. My grandma was a pie baker. And I am a pie baker. I remember the table of pies my grandma made for Thanksgiving, for Christmas, for Easter, sometimes just for Sunday dinner. Lemon meringue pie. Cherry pie. Pecan pie. Apple pie. Chocolate pie. Banana pecan pie. When my grandma passed away, it was her box of pie recipes I chose in memory of her.

I am always in search of books about pies. Pie Academy is a perfect book for the new pie baker. Author Ken Haedrich shares all the important information about pies—crusts, fillings, tools, and more—while keeping the art of pie baking accessible for all. Haedrich offers both the if-you-want-to have-the-best-results tips along with the good-enough tips, and that's huge, I think.

Some of my takeaways from this book:

Making a perfect piecrust, especially cutting in the fat, and keeping everything coldTurning the piecrust while rolling it out to avoid it sticking
What to do with pastry trimmingsTwenty-five different piecrusts

Pie Academy has lots of recipes I'm interested in trying, especially Pumpkin-Praline Pie; Maple-Pecan Pie; Lemon Chess Pie; Fried Peach Pies; Eggnog Chiffon Pie; and Kahlua Fudge Brownie Pie.