The Pie Room

September 21, 2020
Chef Franklin will charm home bakers with this delicious glimpse into the pastry magic that happens in the “Pie Room” at his Holborn Dining Room restaurant in London. Starting with “Tools & Techniques,” Franklin lays down building blocks including rolling pastry, then walks readers through essential equipment. Classic dough recipes follow, including choux, puff, filo, and brioche. Dishes skew toward the savory, and bakers can dream up elegant dinner parties to make prawn Thermidor vol-au-vents or up the home Friday-night ante with options including a Moroccan chickpea and feta pie that’s both elegant and substantial without taking hours to prepare, and kid-friendly surprises such as a “melting, gooey” mac ’n’ cheese pie. A handful of sweet options are featured, among them the always-in-style glazed apple tart (which feels wonderfully British as it suggests clotted cream spooned alongside), and a rhubarb and custard tart made with shortcrust pastry, topped with vanilla-infused custard, and arranged with rhubarb batons. A chapter on side dishes showcases some of the restaurant’s popular fare, with selections like “Perfect Hasselback Potatoes” and roasted carrots with cumin. Readers looking for hearty winter fare will want to give this a look.