Seasonal savories and celebratory sweets await in Celebrate: Joyful Baking All Year Round by Paul Hollywood of The Great British Bake Off fame.
The cookbook opens with an invitation to bake its recipes "to celebrate the important events and people in your life, whatever the time of year." Recipes are separated by season rather than type or course, with two additional sections for cakes and party fare. Hollywood has suggestions such as a multilayer hazelnut and orange cake sure to wow at any occasion; a pan of decadent, bittersweet brownie bars perfect for an afternoon snack; and show-stopping entrees with in-season produce like zucchini, feta, and fava bean quiche.
Beautifully styled photographs of towering cakes, cheerful cookies, and an intricate wheatsheaf-shaped loaf make for a sumptuous browsing experience, and global favorites like Japanese cheesecake are included alongside British standbys like hand-held beef pies. Recipes include introductory notes from Hollywood as well as occasional instructions for decoration. Some improvisational measurement is intermittently required, but the adventurous and experienced baker should enjoy this inspiration for celebrations. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads