';It's a conundrum I can't understand. Someone's hankering for pie; you can see the pie-longing in their eyes. They want a delicious flaky crust, something with buttery overtones. They want fresh fruitnot a vague whisper of berry in a butter cream, but overt chunks of apple, discernible bites of berry. But it's just not done. You don't serve pie at special events like fiftieth birthdays, dinner parties, silver anniversaries, or, God forbid, at a wedding. To which I reply, ';Bullpuckies.''And so begins Pie It Forward: Pies, Tarts, Tortes, Galettes, and Other Pastries Reinvented.

Pie has always been a popular cookbook topic, yet in Pie It Forward, baker, confectioner, and pastry master Gesine Bullock-Prado unveils an entirely new frontier of pies, redefining what can be done with a piecrust and pastry shell. Expect lattice and cutouts with an entirely modern twist. Homemade puff pastry made easy. Individual pie pops to replace tired cupcakes. Surprising and wildly successful explorations with beer (Chocolate Stout Pudding Pie), exotic fruits (Yuzu-Ginger Rice Pudding Meringue Pie), and candy-making (Earl Grey Truffle Tart). And there are the classics tooriffing on her German roots, her Hollywood background, and life on her Vermont farma Blueberry Brown Butter Tart, an Italian Plum Tart with a yeasted-dough crust, a tiramisu-inspired Espresso Tart, a Vermont Pizza Pie, and more. Including sweet, savory, layered, and miniature pies and tarts, Bullock-Prado presents these recipes with a voice that removes the intimidation factor and inspires readers to break out of the double-crust straitjacket and try her signature creationsand to laugh out loud along the way. For additional information, technique demonstrations, and more, please visit www.

pieitforwardcookbook.com.