Cookbook Review + Giveaway: Pastry for Beginners

I’m a sucker for a good cookbook, so when I got the opportunity to receive a copy of Pastry for Beginners from the publisher to review, I jumped at the chance. The author is Sharon Glascoe, recipe developer and content creator at Certified Pastry Aficionado, one of my favorite recipe websites.

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In Pastry for Beginners, Sharon gives step by step instructions with tips and tricks to help you master four different categories of dough: pie dough, puff pastry, yeast dough, and choux dough. Each type of dough is accompanied by several recipes to practice with. The thing I really like about the recipe selections is that there are both sweet and savory options, perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Some of the ones I’m most excited to try are:

  • Cranberry Apple Crumble Pie
  • Mocha Brownie Pie
  • Beef Empanadas
  • Skillet Chicken Pot Pie
  • Pesto-Ricotta Braid
  • Soft Pretzel Bites
  • Blueberry Lemon Cream Puffs

And that’s just a few of the recipes that I can’t wait to test! One recipe that I’ve already made is Nutella Pull-Apart Bread. It was a rousing success, with my family devouring one loaf as I took photos of the other. They couldn’t wait for me to get done so they could dig into the second one as well! It was delicious, and I’ll definitely be making it again at some point (after I test out some of the other recipes I have my eye on).

This is Sharon’s first cookbook, but she’s been publishing recipes on her website for years and every one I’ve tried has been delicious. The one thing I think would have improved this cookbook is including more pictures because they help you visualize the finished product, but even without the extra photos I’m still planning on using this book frequently.

Now, are you ready for the super fun part of this post? I’m excited to announce that I’m partnering with the publisher to giveaway a copy of Pastry for Beginners to one lucky reader! To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me which of the recipes I listed above you would love to try first. And feel free to visit my Instagram post and follow the instructions for an extra entry there as well! I’ll be accepting entries now through 5:00 pm EST Friday January 24th, 2020.

Another cookbook you might like: One Dish, Two Diets

16 Comments

  1. I am a sucker for Rugelach. The picture makes me want some now!!! I would love to learn to make it the right way. I cheat and use premade pie dough. Doesn’t cut it. I want the real deal.

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