Rating: 
Summary: Die-hard bakers will enjoy this book
Review:
I've tried a number of the recipies in this book, and they are excellent! Most of mine however, didn't turn out.
These recipies are not for the faint of heart. For those of us raised in the cake-mix generation, be forewarned -- most of these recipies require more than one hour of work
If you're a die-hard pie and tart baker, you should pick up a copy of this book. Good luck!
Rating: 
Summary: I can hardly wait to try every one of these recipies
Review: As a self-taught baker (by the time I was 12 I was the champion pie baker in my community) I can understand why people have difficulties with pies and breads. They are not for the faint of heart, those who do not wish to practice, or for those who wish to use cheap ingredients. If one wants to bake a pie, it is going to be the satisfying WORK of love, just as is playing the piano. And both require practice. For those who don't want to put that time and money into their life's satisfactions, buy frozen pies and CD's. They can be reasonably good, and some of my guests with cardboard palates and tin ears don't know the difference; but don't serve them (the frozen pies, that is) to me!
Rating:
Summary: solid and inspirational
Review: Boy, to read some of the more negative reviews, it sounds like no one has any common sense when it comes to substituting ingredients. Come on, if something calls for winter banana apples and you don't have them, just use a variety you have access to! Same with the fraises, just use strawberries, same with Meyer lemons, etc. This book is good because it is so well illustrated and you have an idea of what your creation ought to look like, it is good because it provides several examples of what to do with each fruit where appropriate, and the pastry recipes and glazes work. The fact that she has an entire section devoted to apples is a good sign and should inspire bakers rather than freak them out. If you're unsure in the kitchen, DON'T start with pies and tarts, stick to cookies and quick breads until you have those mastered. If something looks complicated, either don't attempt it or make it less complicated and omit the chocolate leaves or roses, don't braid the edging on the crust, just do what is comfortable. Just because Martha Stewart has made her life out of domesticity doesn't mean she has an exclusionary agenda and that this book is merely an example of someone with endless means and access to ingredients. If that's how you feel don't buy her books only to criticize them.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a valuable resource and source of inspiration.
Review: Despite all of the criticism of Martha Stewart, her cookbooks are well worth buying. Like her other books, PIES AND TARTS serves up not only new takes on old favorties, but also valuable recipes for basics such as puff pastry, various pie crusts, etc. This book has become one of my standard references. Her recipe for puff pastry made it easy for me the first time I ever tried it, and her recipe for Lemon Curd is one of my all time favorites. This book is easy to understand and use, and the pictures are wonderful.
Rating: 
Summary: Pies and Tarts made of what ?
Review: I am a true Martha devotee, so I am used to her using ingredients that are not available in my neck of the woods. Buyer beware: this book has loads of great recipes and techniques, but many of them rely on exotic ingredients. Ever heard of a winter banana apple ? I hadn't either until this book.
Rating:
Summary: it's a good thing!
Review: I have used this numerous times and it is one of my favorite books for desserts. I find it especially usefull for late Summer and Fall when fruits are ripe and I am in the mood for days of baking.
Rating:
Summary: Great Looking Desserts!
Review: I just purchased this book last evening. I received 3 of Martha's pie pans for Christmas and was looking for some new pies to try. So far the recipes do not look too difficult, they do look time consuming, but that's ok, I enjoy baking and trying new things. My only concern is that some of the ingredients are not going to be available to me. For instance, key limes, I live in Columubs, Ohio and as far as I know I cannot purchase key limes at the grocery store. I can't wait to get started!!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Martha Stewart isn't all she is cracked up to be.
Review: I like the concept of what the Martha Stewart organization is trying to portray. I think that our generation needs to learn how they can make things themselves instead of relying on others to make them. However, I am very disappointed in almost every single recipe that I have tried to make from the Martha Stewart cookbooks. This particular book calls for some hard-to-find ingredients with no options for the people who can't find or obtain them. I realize that the people who bake these pies and tarts for the book are professionals and have had a lot of food styling done to them but what the average person is capable of making at home is no where near what you see in the book. It seems this book was printed as another tool to promote the Martha Stewart organization. It was not done to help the average consumer, like it seems the MS organization is portraying itself to be. This is a very disappointing book.
Rating:
Summary: I've got a long-term relationship with this book
Review: I'm a little bit of an oddball in that I've been making pies and tarts since I was in High School, and basically learned how through this book. The basic recipes for pie and tart crusts and glazes, found at the back of the book with step-by-step illustrations, have become indispensable favorites of mine. Martha is a big advocate of using a food processor to ensure that chilled ingredients stay that way, ensuring a tender, flaky crust that's fast and reliable, and I couldn't agree more, especially if, like me, you're working in an unairconditioned kitchen. The recipes for pastry cream and lemon curd are superb. Rather than using specific recipes for tarts, I usually bake one of the crusts (pate brisee, pate sucree or sucree extra or nut), use the recipe for pastry cream found in the recipe for the blackberry tart, and add my own fresh fruit and one of the glazes. Among the individual recipes, the apple raisin pie is a favorite I make every Thanksgiving, the Tarte Tatin is great, and I especially appreciate the recipes using Italian Prune or Friar plums, available in late August / September, my favorite fruit for pies and tarts. I just ate a Pear Frangipane tartlet this weekend, and was pleased to discover there was a recipe for it in this book, and look forward to making my own. One of my only complaints is that the recipes seemingly all use different-sized and shaped pie and tart tins, with no easy formulas for converting recipes to fit what you're using. Also, there's no recipe for a classic pecan pie. However, this book is a classic Martha Stewart effort, with the beautiful photographs and consistently high standards that go with that; it certainly has stood the test of time in my kitchen.
Rating:
Summary: I've got a long-term relationship with this book
Review: I'm a little bit of an oddball in that I've been making pies and tarts since I was in High School, and basically learned how through this book. The basic recipes for pie and tart crusts and glazes, found at the back of the book with step-by-step illustrations, have become indispensable favorites of mine. Martha is a big advocate of using a food processor to ensure that chilled ingredients stay that way, ensuring a tender, flaky crust that's fast and reliable, and I couldn't agree more, especially if, like me, you're working in an unairconditioned kitchen. The recipes for pastry cream and lemon curd are superb. Rather than using specific recipes for tarts, I usually bake one of the crusts (pate brisee, pate sucree or sucree extra or nut), use the recipe for pastry cream found in the recipe for the blackberry tart, and add my own fresh fruit and one of the glazes. Among the individual recipes, the apple raisin pie is a favorite I make every Thanksgiving, the Tarte Tatin is great, and I especially appreciate the recipes using Italian Prune or Friar plums, available in late August / September, my favorite fruit for pies and tarts. I just ate a Pear Frangipane tartlet this weekend, and was pleased to discover there was a recipe for it in this book, and look forward to making my own. One of my only complaints is that the recipes seemingly all use different-sized and shaped pie and tart tins, with no easy formulas for converting recipes to fit what you're using. Also, there's no recipe for a classic pecan pie. However, this book is a classic Martha Stewart effort, with the beautiful photographs and consistently high standards that go with that; it certainly has stood the test of time in my kitchen.
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