When I first opened A Year of Pies, the first thing I noticed were the gorgeous photos of not only pies, but also fruits, vegetables, and many other ingredients. I thought that the layout and photos throughout the book are eye catching and very well designed. The author begins the book with her intro and then she shares an interesting history of pie and a complete section on pie making basics follows. The book is then sectioned into Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn and each area includes both sweet and savory pies.
I enjoy savory pies just about as much as sweet, and since I had recently been gifted with a large sack of onions, I thought it was the perfect time to try the Carmelized Onion and Bleu Cheese tart. It was much simpler to make than the photo implied, I topped the pie crust with the carmelized onions and blue cheese and then folded the edges of the pie crust over the mixture, galette style. It made for a beautiful and completely delicious main course and I will definitely be making it again.
I had to try a fruit pie as well, and the Peaches and Cream Crumble topped pie really stood out to me, especially after reading that the author's friends said it was the “best peach pie they had ever eaten.” It has a custard filling, rather than a clear fruit gel filling and the almond flavoring adds a perfect touch. The crunchy topping really made it for me, especially with the chunks of pecan!
I really appreciated the tips (and photos!) in the chapter devoted entirely to pie crusts, since the crust is the foundation of every pie. Types of crust, tips and decorative top crust ideas fill out this section and offer a lot of classic techniques, as well as some new ideas — I can't wait to try the Almond Shortbread and Gingersnap crusts!
