Ken Haedrich's Apple Pie Perfect celebrates America's most treasured dessert with 100 definitive recipes--everything from a traditional lattice-topped version and Haedrich's parents' brown sugar pie to newer incarnations, including Baked Apple Dumpling Pie, Apple and Brie Pie, and multifruit delights such as Apple-Plum Pie with Coconut Streusel. Apple Pie 101 and then some, the book first offers 10 versatile crust recipes, including the author's favored All-American Double Crust (which requires both butter, for flavor, and shortening, for tender flakiness), plus a delicious whole wheat version, then proceeds to the pies, arranged according to the seasons. The recipes walk would-be pie makers through the process carefully, which should encourage even the baking novice to try their hand. Sidebars include tips (there's even one on how to avoid a floury telephone receiver when called during crust-rolling), lore, and useful subrecipes (like the one for Spiced Ginger Apple Butter), plus a guide to apple varieties. These further expand the book's usefulness. With a section on "handpies"--apple pie for the fingers, like Apple "Calzone" Pie--and recipes like No-Bake Apple Ice Cream Pie that appeal particularly to kids, the book is a sure best-stop for producing a true American food icon. --Arthur Boehm