Meat Pies: An Emerging American Craft

Meat and other savory pies, beloved in European cuisines, somehow fell out of favor in the United States. But Brian Polcyn and Michael Ruhlman have detected a turnaround in the local fortunes of savory pies, one they are happy to abet with this attractive and practical guide to producing everything from a biscuit-topped chicken pot pie to a rolled salmon pie with shrimp and spinach mousseline to splatter of roasted curried cauliflower turnovers.

You might note that none of those are strictly meat pies, but rest assured that beef and pork are here, along with venison and a host of sausage fillings. You’ll find yourself making hand-raised pies, tarts and galettes, double-crusted pies, and even those 1970s standbys, vol-au-vents.

The authors include three different dough bases for encasing your pie, as well as a gluten-free flour and dough. A brief chapter on side dishes is followed by one on sauces and condiments.  

We’ve had a long and happy history selling Polcyn and Ruhlman’s earlier collaborations, each of which demonstrates its relevance to this project: Charcuterie, Salumi, and Pate, Confit, Rillette. We’re confident they know what they are up to here.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.