Betty Crocker (just "Betty" from here on out) circa 1970 is awesome because apparently the prose hasn't been updated since 1900. Here is the opening statement of the pie section:
My favorite parts are: "What's the American man's favorite dessert? Most people would agree -- it's pie." She continues on to admonish us, "If you care about pleasing a man -- bake a pie. But make sure it's a perfect pie."
I'm hoping that most American men in this day and age are happy to have anything that wasn't ordered over the phone half an hour earlier. I'm still researching to see if the current edition of Betty has changed this inspirational pie introduction.
In addition to Betty, I'm also using a book I found at Powell's in Portland the other weekend on sale. It's called Great Pies and Tarts, by Carole Walter. I really like this book because of its sizable tips and trouble-shooting section.
She gives really really really detailed instructions for each element of pastries, from the different protein content of flour and how that affects the pies, to how to know if pears are in season or not, to the correct type of rolling pin to use. It's so fascinating and well-written that I finally feel like I've compensated for skipping home ec in high school.
She also has a lot of different types of crusts. I'm going to try her cheddar pie pastry crust this weekend on the winter pear pie I'm making on Sunday!
Other than that, I have looked at lots of pie books at Powells (about an hour's worth of browsing two lower shelves, actually), and wasn't too impressed by them. But maybe I'm a complete snob, too. It seems to be true that pie is like sewing -- something women did regularly in 1960 when they didn't have to go to work and pizza delivery and the internet hadn't been invented yet. Now, we are all so intimidated by the idea that it's easier to just to go without. Hopefully after reading about my (mis)adventures, you will feel buoyed to try at least one pie. How about the next cold rainy afternoon when you need a reason to get off the couch (and want to impress your man, of course)?
Hi Little Pie Maker... I really enjoyed reading about your adventures. Being a man, it provided me with humor and joy, but also rich memories of my younger days of eating pies with the attitude of: "I don't care how many eggs this pie contains. It simply tastes great". I am looking forward to your next adventure. I also plan to have the "woman of the house" read it and gain more insight into the almost lost art of pie making.
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