Meat pies An emerging American craft

Meat pies have been a staple of British and continental European cooking for centuries. But they've never really caught on in the U.S., where "pie" invariably refers to a fruit-filled crust served for dessert. Midwestern chefs Polcyn and Ruhlman (Charcuterie, 2013) may transform those prejudices with this comprehensive yet accessible treatise on all sorts of savory pies. Meat pies start with a crust, and the authors give illustrated instructions on several kinds of crusts, including simplified puff pastry as well as hot-water pastry. No purists, they allow for store-bought pastry and explain how to produce successful gluten-free pastry for those needing it. Fillings for these beautifully bronzed pies range from pork, beef, and lamb to seafood and duck. The authors define meat pies broadly, and there are recipes for simplified French-Russian coulibiac and a lamb version of beef Wellington sure to impress. While they respect genuine French pâté en croûte, they don't force readers into all the intricacies of aspics and dauntingly elaborate molds and decorations. Instructions for even the most complicated of these recipes are straightforward and free of chef jargon as much as possible. Home cooks seeking new but achievable challenges will have fun reproducing Polcyn and Ruhlman's creations.

Ever since they collaborated on their first book, Charcuterie, more than 20 years ago, James Beard Award-winning author Ruhlman and chef and restaurateur Polcyn have been obsessed with meat. Now the duo are setting their culinary sights on the savory side of pies with spectacular success. After an entertaining introduction from Ruhlman, in which he traces the history of meat pies, the book covers the basic tools, vessels, and ingredients needed and then focus on everything cooks need to know about doughs. The next part of the cookbook is divided into sections defined by crust, such as pot pies, hand-raised pies, and vol-au-vents, with recipes for classics such as a chicken pot pie with biscuit crust (of which Swanson could only dream) to a tomato, basil, and mozzarella pie to traditional Cornish-style pasties and their Michigan Upper Peninsula counterpart as well as Stilton cheesecake with walnut crust. Recipes for sides including potato and garlic puree as well as sauces and condiments round things out and the recipes themselves are laid out in a precise, easy-to-grasp format enhanced with stunning photographs. VERDICT This first-rate in every way guide will have cooks ditching the sweet side of pies in favor of a walk on the savory side.--John Charles