Williams-Sonoma Collection: Pie & Tart

With the best ingredients and a little practice, baking is just as easy as pie -- and there's no better way to enjoy juicy, ripe fruit or a silky chocolate or lemon custard than with a delicious, flaky crust. And, when made from scratch, a pie or tart is a simple way to make any meal special.Williams-Sonoma Collection Pie & Tartoffers more than 40 recipes that will inspire you to bake pies and tarts at any time throughout the year. Whether you want to serve an elegant pear tart at an autumn dinner party, need to satisfy a craving for a piece of old-fashioned banana cream pie, or are simply looking for a recipe that uses up an abundance of plums from your backyard tree, you will find plenty of irresistible ideas inside. In addition, a chapter devoted entirely to rustic tarts offers new ways to serve up some of your favorite seasonal fruits as simple and beautiful desserts.Beautiful, full-color photographs of each pie and tart make it easy to decide which one to prepare, and photographic side notes throughout explain key ingredients and techniques, makingPie & Tartmuch more than just a fine collection of recipes.A detailed basics section and glossary also help you to discover the pie- and tart-baking secrets that will assist you in making these well-loved desserts for many years to come.Old-fashioned apple pie, fresh fruit tart with pastry cream, billowy lemon meringue pie, or silky chocolate pie -- These are just a few of the pies and tarts that hold places of honor among our all-time favorite desserts.Williams-Sonoma Collection Pie & Tartoffers more than 40 easy-to-follow recipes that will inspire you to bake familiar classics as well as freshnew ideas. From exquisite cr¨me br»lee tartlets to a luscious summer peach pie to an irresistibly sweet pineapple galette, you will find a pieor tart recipe inside perfectly suited for any occasion. This beautifully photographed, full-color recipe collection is certain to become anessential addition to your kitchen bookshelf.

Carolyn Beth Weil is an accomplished baker with more than 20 years of professional experience. She was the first pastry chef for Jeremiah Tower's San Francisco restaurant Stars. As a food writer and cooking teacher, she now focuses on making baking more approachable for the home cook. Ms. Weil was a contributor to The Baker's Dozen Cookbook, and her articles have appeared in such publications as the Washington Post and Fine Cooking. She lives in Berkeley, California, where she owned a bakery for 10 years.