The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book: Uncommon Recipes from the Celebrated Brooklyn Pie Shop

not bad, glad i purchased a used copy

Have made several pies from this book and they always come out extraordinarily! Hoping to make them all! Loving the more unique ingredients.

After making several pies from this book I have to agree with the posters who've said that the oven temps are high and the times are too long. I'm a trained chef who has spent a lot of time making pies and its ok to use 400 for the first 20 minutes as that's what it needs in order for the pie crust to set- the 375 is ok too but not for more than 45 mins total- I have a good oven (convection) and there's no way with those temps that I could leave the lattice crust pies in for an hour- after rotating, 40-45 minutes was just about right(depending on whether there's egg wash and sugar on top). The Edible Brooklyn Four and Twenty recipes online say to preheat the oven to 425°F, leave in for 20-25 mins then drop to 375°F for another 35- IMO there's no way you can keep these pies with sugar on them for that long and hot with or without convection. And why should the same crust be cooked at different temps/times for online recipes vs. the cookbook? Not good editing nor is it good testing... they owe it to the readers to see to it that their published recipes are the same (and accurate for home and convection ovens.)Pie crusts are notoriously 'flaky' (!) to make in a home kitchen (they're usually too warm so you are constantly juggling the rolling part by tossing the crust back in the refrigerator or freezer if you can't work quickly. It's understandable that people shy away from making them. The above being said, for the photos on how to make the perfect crust and the step by step lattice methods alone this book is worth it because an online recipe won't go into that kind of detail. While adding vinegar to crusts and savory pastries like potato knish dough is nothing new I do love their idea of using apple cider vs white vinegar. I'm always asked how I make my crusts. Instead I give friends who won't go near baking an afternoon lesson with me and buy them the book and toss in a Berenbaoum's pie plate and a bench scraper and they're in business. I just wish they'd acknowledge the temps and times for home or convection ovens might be off and I wish they used gram weights in addition to the cup measures... it's only slightly more work for them to do the conversion and its the 'professional' way to measure your recipes consistently.For those just starting out do use the crusts as a galette instead of a pie- you don't even need a pie tin- just a flat oven tray- so simple and they are just as tasty and gorgeous as the lattice- I tend to think that for the 'unfussy' look the galette is perfect- then you can make two crusts and serve twelve. Definitely try their varieties of crusts: chocolate and gingersnap are particularly good.

Just got it.Used copy in perfect never used condition from a thrift store seller. Signed and with a full size poster included.There is a picture of almost every single pie recipe. Until you get to the fall and winter months.Separated into seasons for the freshest ingredients available. Which I love. I looked through it and didn't see one pie in there I was not excited about making!!!!I can't wait to work my way through this book and find some new favorites!

I was so excited for this pie book, as I’ve never made a pie before and was ready to dive in! However, this book is definitely not for beginners. I found myself googling A LOT and watching many YouTube videos. While there’s an index at the front with definitions and places to find things, I needed more detail to understand the instructions as a first time pie maker.There are also a lot of very non-traditional pie recipes. They look great and I’ve made one so far and it was good! However, if you’re looking for more traditional recipes, this is not the book for you.

I have used this cookbook time and time again for some excellent recipes such as:-Salty Honey Pie (pictured). This is a very unique recipe attributed to them, and have pleased many relatives! A little goes a long way.-The Maple Lime Custard Pie is delicious and original as well.-Maple Buttermilk Custard Pie worked out very well, even with my usual substituting of sour cream/milk for buttermilk,As others have noted, the timing and temperature settings they recommend are not always correct, and I have had unfortunate circumstances when baking.-The lemon curd from The Black Bottom Lemon Pie never set for me, even with some extra time backing, and I was so upset to have to throw it away after all the hard work. I have made many, many pies in my life and rarely do I have a throwaway outcome.-The Brown Butter Pumpkin Pie flavor is great (yes, I tasted raw pie filling) but did not set properly, so I go to my Hoosier Mama or America's Test Kitchen pumpkin pie recipes instead now.-The Pear Anise Pie was too watery even after the recommended 20-30 minutes of releasing the juices. Remembering that previous mistake, I drained the apples in the Salted Caramel Apple Pie recipe for longer and it turned out very well.-I love chamomile and have high quality chamomile tea but the Chamomile Buttermilk Custard Pie barely tasted like it.Unfortunately the binding of the book is not of the highest quality and a quarter of my pages are now loose. That's too bad but I will continue to use this book...*The same people have created a Matcha Custard Pie (not included in this book but you can find it online) and it is DELICIOUS- a very good recipe.

I am a pie snob. My grandfather was a third-generation fruit farmer in Michigan, who selected the very best fruit for me, which my grandmother baked into perfect pies. These recipes have the flavor complexity that creates extraordinary and memorable pies. I’ve had numerous people say the salted caramel apple pie or the stone fruit pie is the best they’ve ever had. The crust recipes are also flavorful and extraordinary. Some recipes are more outstanding than others, but overall, this book is fantastic. I agree that the binding is bad, so mine is a taped up mess because I use it so much. Just got the Kindle version too because I often want to make one of these pies while visiting friends.

Maravilhoso

This book is great. It has so many types of pies that you can make and the recipes and pictures all look and sound amazing. Can't wait to start cooking from it.

O livro é muito bem feito, com as receitas divididas por estações. As fotos são lindas.A história da família e da loja na introdução do livro é muito interessante.Recomendo.

If I were to write how much I love pie, it would worry and perturb the good readers of Amazon reviews, so instead let me tell you about just one pie - the peach and paprika pie from this book.made for my sister's birthday, it is a secondary pie, and accompanying pie. It's the side pie to a luscious Smores Pie, made with homemade digestives, giant marshmallows and a whisky caramel.I do not expect great things until I cut it open. The peaches are tinted a glossy red-gold from the paprika. The pasty is so crisp that it flakes from the knife, yielding in sugary shards over the still-warm peaches and the thick, spiced syrup inside.This is a very god book, full of very good pies, and a commitment to using seasonal, local, quality ingredients. Each recipe is simple, carefully structured and foolproof. When I need to make something both unassuming and magical, it's the book I turn to.

Seriously good book.I own A LOT of recipe books both UK and US-based, this is one of my favourites.There is the standard how-to, what you need, ingredients etc but there are lots of recipes in the book, all presented so beautifully but so many that you wouldn't find anywhere else.I bought this book as I couldn't make to the shop - from the UK on a week holiday in NYC this bakery was on my list to visit, but we were not able to make it, I was gutted, so I bought the book when I got home.And to the UK readers, US pastry is quite different from ours, but give it a go, you'll be pleased you did.