Savory Pies3 star

 

 

Savory Goodies Baked in Crust

By Greg Henry

Ulysses Press, $16.95, 190 pages

“Savory pies are like a well-loved blanket: warm, satisfying, and marvelously easy to snuggle into.”

Savory Pies is a collection of pies and loosely related other savory items, all baked in a crust. Greg Henry also included those in phyllo dough, not strictly pies. The recipes are not for the average home bakers; many are difficult, more like from a professional bakery: e.g. Roasted Radish Tart with Arugula and Bagna Caude; Creamy Mushroom and Leek Demi-Lunes. Some ingredients are not easy to find (e.g. flying fish roe, cotija cheese). The recipes are well-written, imaginative and original, many illustrated with full-page, strikingly beautiful photos. Head notes are interesting and informative. Additional notes as sidebars are also very good, as well as suggested wine pairing (you will need to visit a well-stocked wine shop to find many). The chapters are divided into appetizers, main course pies and hand pies (individual servings baked in a crust). An introduction instructing you how to make a great crust is also very good. Unfortunately the design of the book and layouts of recipes are not. To keep illustrations with the recipe, for many you need to flip pages back and forth while preparing. Recipe index is poor using the first letter to classify, irrespective of the main ingredient.

Reviewed by Georg Erdosh

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