Pieometry: Modern Tart Art and Pie Design for the Eye and the Palate

by Lauren Ko

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

They look like pies, but they're works of art. Lauren Ko's pies, which are colorful and uniquely patterned, are the subject of her immensely popular Instagram. But can a person with little skill handle the recipes? You bet! With easy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step photography, all anyone needs is a little patience to create pies that will look as good as they taste. Written with warmth and wit and lushly illustrated, this is a great gift for the baker on your list.

New York Times bestseller

The pie-making genius behind the popular Instagram account @lokokitchen reveals the secrets of her mind-blowing creations in this gorgeous full-color cookbook featuring 50 incredible sweet and savory pie and tart designs

In a few short years, Lauren Ko made all hell bake loose, going from novice pie baker to internet star and creator of today’s most surprising and delightful pie and tart designs. Her unique geometric style uses fruit and dough cut and woven into stunning shapes to highlight color and texture. With an elegant symmetry that matches their knockout flavor, her dazzlingly intricate and inventive designs look difficult to produce, but can be achieved with little more than a knife, ruler, and some patience.

In Pieometry, Lauren reveals her secrets, sharing stories about her designs and the inspiration behind them. Warm and funny, she recounts the spectacular piesasters that led to some of her best creations, and breaks down her most beautiful designs, describing how to make naturally-colored dough, intricate weaves, and striking cut-out patterns. Pieometry provides clear, step-by-step instructions, accompanied by helpful photographs, which any patient baker can follow to build these pies from bottom crust to top in their own kitchens. Lauren makes it easy to mix and match doughs, fruits, fillings, and designs, and each recipe includes suggestions for alternative ingredients. Best of all, the beautiful finished pie and tart photos are just as much of a treat to look at as the pies are to eat. But even if you make a mistake here and there, her flavors save the day!

When it comes to flavor, Pieometry offers a balance of sweet and savory pies that are a feast for the senses, including:

• Of a Shingle Mind: Honey ricotta tart with an herbed pastry shell and beets
• Berried Treasure: Lavender blackberry cream with a shortbread crust and berries
• Wave of Wonders: Cardamom coffee cream with a shortbread crust and pear
• Once in a Tile: Pumpkin black sesame pie with a black sesame crust
• C and Easy: Butternut bacon macaroni and cheese pie with a whole wheat cheddar chive crust
• Squiggle Room: Grilled cinnamon pineapple pie with a basic butter crust

Whether you want to impress at the holidays or just spruce up a family meal, Pieometry is your guide to transforming a rustic traditional dessert into a modern masterpiece. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062911223
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	10/13/2020
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	34,453
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Lauren Ko is a writer, artist, self-taught home baker, and the founder of the popular Instagram account @lokokitchen. She has roots in sunny San Diego, but after wandering the world, she has settled in Seattle, WA, with her husband, Ben, and their bear dog, Santi. Lauren’s colorful geometric style regularly inspires fellow bakers on Instagram, where she has amassed nearly 300,000 followers. Her pie designs have been featured in publications such as Vogue, O Magazine, Buzzfeed's Tasty, The Seattle Times, The Washington Post, My Modern Met, and Design Milk. She has appeared on-screen in New Day Northwest and Martha Bakes. She was named to The Bake Feed’s 2018 Baker’s Dozen—13 of the most talented baking icons, movers and shakers pushing baking boundaries and making the biggest difference in the baking world.

Editorial Reviews

05/04/2020

Ko earned Instagram fame for her gorgeously crafted pies, and in this pun-heavy guide (“Let’s get this tarty started”) she generously shares her tricks. “Spoke Signals” (with spiraling strips of dough that form a hub at the center) was Ko’s Instagram breakout and is typical of her geometric genius. Crusts range from basic to options that incorporate Oreos and sprinkles and a blue version colored with butterfly pea flower. Some combinations are surprising—“Block and Awe” pairs cherry filling with two doughs, one marbled with Nutella and the other made with beets—but the visual effects are always brilliant. In “Pink Out Loud,” dragon fruit powder turns a lime-curd filling a bright magenta that contrasts with geometric speckled dragon fruit-flesh tiles; in “Floral of the Story,” each hexagon in a clever honeycomb design of dough encases an edible flower. Savory options include a miso and carrot pie topped with banana-shaped dough curls. The instructions for more ambitious woven crusts, including a three-tone Aztec-style design, are precise and accompanied by helpful photos. This is a no-brainer for Ko’s many fans who are eager to learn the secrets behind her show-stopping work, or any baker looking to add some confectionery flash to their repertoire. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Ko earned Instagram fame for her gorgeously crafted pies, and in this pun-heavy guide . . . she generously shares her tricks.  The instructions . . . are precise and accompanied by helpful photos. This is a no-brainer for Ko’s many fans who are eager to learn the secrets behind her show-stopping work, or any baker looking to add some confectionery flash to their repertoire. — Publishers Weekly

Ko puts art back in tart. . . . Her ability to mix and match flavors puts her into the same category as molecular chefs/wizards. Home pastry chefs will find much inspiration here, and even if her visual artistry intimidates, Ko’s flavor combinations can still unleash a creative spirit in the kitchen.  — Booklist (starred review)

Ko . . . has brought her creative and unique recipes and ideas into this debut, which offers stunning photographs, along with tips on how to transform tarts and pies into works of art. . . . A funny, well-written collection of recipes suited for bakers of all levels.  — Library Journal (starred review)

From the Publisher

Ko puts art back in tart. . . . Her ability to mix and match flavors puts her into the same category as molecular chefs/wizards. Home pastry chefs will find much inspiration here, and even if her visual artistry intimidates, Ko’s flavor combinations can still unleash a creative spirit in the kitchen. 

Booklist (starred review)

★ 09/01/2020

Ko, creator of the popular blog and Instagram Lokokitchen, has brought her creative and unique recipes and ideas into this debut, which offers stunning photographs, along with tips on how to transform tarts and pies into works of art. In addition to sweet pies and tarts, the collection offers a variety of savory recipes. The first part offers recommendations for preferred ingredients and necessary equipment; some of the tips include making sure butter is cold and being careful not to overwork dough. While the recipes and art may initially seem intimidating, Ko encourages readers to be creative and mix and match many of the tart shells and pie crusts. She also gives substitutions for each recipe, along with advice on how to develop patience. For those who are new to making tarts or pies, Ko suggests starting with truth or square, a relatively simple ice cream tart. VERDICT A funny, well-written collection of recipes suited for bakers of all levels.—Holly Skir, Broward Cty. Lib., FL

Library Journal