Icebox Pies

Do you consider pies complicated, oven-baked affairs? Before she discovered icebox pies, Lauren Chattman did too. Icebox pies are different: they're easy. You won't spend precious time rolling out pastry dough-the crusts are made from cookie crumbs and quickly crisped in the oven; the fillings are uncooked or prepared on the stovetop; the pies set in the refrigerator or freezer for a few hours before being served. And that's all there is to it. Icebox Pies is Chattman's interpretation of this simple dessert, which can be at turns classic or exotic. It begins with a chapter on crusts and ends with a chapter on toppings, and in between are all the delectable pies themselves: mousse, pudding, and custard pies; chocolate-based pies; fruit-and-cream pies; ice cream and sorbet pies; and more. They are perfect for summertime entertaining and will satisfy you, whether you are experienced or just beginning. Choice confronts you as the only difficulty, with such options as Black Bottom Butterscotch Pie, Rocky Road Pie, Coconut Cream Pie, Caramelized Pineapple and Cream Cheese Pie, Banana Split Ice Cream Pie, and Fresh Raspberry and Blueberry Pie. Icebox Pies will present you with a whole new way to make dessert without a whole lot of work.

In Icebox Pies, Lauren Chattman offers 100 recipes that will sweeten the stigma of the standard homemade no-bake pie. Thanks to Chattman, what used to seem only appropriate for the church bake sale has been refined with a chic twist. Though she offers the basic graham-cracker-crust recipe, she also includes an array of crusts that use lemon nut cookies, amaretti cookies, zwieback, and gingersnaps. Her featured fillings include the traditional lineup of no-bake pies (Chocolate Mousse Pie and Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Pie, among others), but the trendy and unusual recipes are what make this cookbook a lot of fun. Raspberry and Cocoa Mascarpone Cream Pie, Caramelized Pineapple and Cream Cheese Pie, and Cranberry and Butterscotch Chip Ice Cream Pie are just a few examples of delicious flavor combinations. The author also recommends toppings that range from Maple Walnut Sauce to Cranberry Dessert Sauce to Nougatine. (All filling recipes feature several suggestions for complementary crust choices and toppings.) With this book, Chattman provides a variety of no-bake pie options--guaranteed not to burn--that are interesting and elegant. --Teresa Simanton