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CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado

Cookbooks

cover photo of entertaining made easy cookbook

I have always loved entertaining. Growing up, I tried out new recipes during Easter brunches, birthday parties, and Thanksgiving dinners. The more I practiced, the more comfortable I became making food for groups of people.

To share what I’ve learned and make entertaining more approachable, I geared my second cookbook towards those who love to entertain but feel a little intimidated by the process. It’s called Entertaining Made Easy: Recipes, Menus, and Inspiration for Effortless Celebrations. My goal for this book is to give you the same confidence to tackle any event—big or small, fancy or casual. I’m sharing all the tips and tricks I’ve picked up from years of hosting. Not every event I hosted went well, but I learned so much from each failure.

All the recipes in this book are simple to make and perfect for any gathering. Some contain only five ingredients, some can be executed in under 30 minutes, some can be made in one pot or on a baking sheet, and some aren’t cooked at all. For recipes that require a little more work, I share all my best tips and tricks for ensuring the dish comes out perfectly.

Not only do I provide recipes that can be used for all kinds of entertaining, but I also give you specifics on the Five Elements of Entertaining and how to apply them to 12 different types of events. The five elements include:

  1. The Occasion
  2. The People
  3. The Location
  4. The Menu
  5. The Entertainment

Along with those elements, I will provide a timeline for the event prep and some additional tips to help make your event extra special.

Some of the types of events that you’ll get guidance on include:

  • Graduation Parties
  • Baby Showers
  • Game Nights
  • Housewarming Parties
  • Wine Tastings

I cannot wait for you to see all the great things this book has to offer. It officially goes on sale October 27, 2020 but preordering has already begun. Preorder your copy TODAY!

I have published a cookbook that will help you learn everything you need to know about pastry – Pastry for Beginners: Step-by-Step Recipes for Sweet and Savory Treats. This cookbook starts with a thorough introduction to the ins and outs of baking with pastry to help you understand why we do the the things we do. In this cookbook you’ll answer the following questions:

  • What are the most important kitchen tools necessary for pastry?
  • Why is cold butter important when making pie dough?
  • What is the best way to measure ingredients?
  • How do I use pastry bag?
  • What are the secrets to fluffy yeast dough?

After you’ve learned everything you need to know about pastry, the following chapters break down the four major types of pastry:

  • Pie Dough
  • Puff Pastry
  • Yeast Dough
  • Choux Pastry

You’ll learn a master recipe for each chapter that is then used in the recipes that follow. As a bonus, each chapter has a few variations of the master recipe so you can flex those pastry skills you just learned!

Grab a copy for yourself today!

  • Amazon
  • Target
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Walmart
  • Books-a-Million
  • Indiebound
  • Indigo

 

Hi, my name is Sharon. I’m an accountant by day, risk-taking baker and food enthusiast by night. Come join me as I share my favorite recipes and test out new ones along the way!

fall flavors

two stacked Cinnamon Chocolate Muffins and one muffin cut in half next to it and a pan of cinnamon chocolate muffins, shot from a side angle

Cinnamon Chocolate Muffins

sweet potato biscuits on parchment paper with butter to the side and a cast iron pan of more biscuits in it, shot from a side angle

Sweet Potato Biscuits

a bowl of Butterscotch Vanilla Bean Sauce with a spoon in it and a bowl of brown sugar with a spoon in it on a cloth napkin, shot from a side angle

Butterscotch Vanilla Bean Sauce

autumn kale salad in a blue salad bowl

Autumn Kale Salad

styled shot of pumpkin snickerdoodles

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

close up pork chops on a plate with Dijon apple pan sauce on top and a rosemary garnish

Dijon Apple Pork Chops

ORDER MY NEW COOKBOOK NOW!

photo of entertaining made easy cookbook available for preorder now

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holiday favorite

a hand holding a cinnamon roll doughnut showing off the glazed topping

Cinnamon Roll Doughnuts

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

close up of raspberries & cream profiterole sitting on a white plate

Raspberries & Cream Profiteroles

Berry Mimosas in flutes pictured with champagne and bowl of berries

Berry Mimosas

a slice of victoria sandwich cake with a bite remove and a few crumbs on the plate

Victoria Sandwich Cake

 

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken – Chicken breasts ar Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken – Chicken breasts are stuffed with a garlic herb goat cheese and pan fried until they are cooked through. These are perfect for fun, yet easy weeknight dinner.

Recipe: https://www.certifiedpastryaficionado.com/goat-cheese-stuffed-chicken/
Double Chocolate Biscotti – Chocolate cookies ar Double Chocolate Biscotti – Chocolate cookies are loaded with chocolate chips and baked twice to make them extra crispy and perfect for dunking into your favorite hot beverage.

Biscotti is the dessert I never knew I needed. I discovered them in college when I craved a snack while studying for finals. I bought a biscotti at the library coffee shop and dunked it in my coffee. The cookie that I thought was too crunchy suddenly turn soft and chewy. Yum!

Those memories inspired me to make my own biscotti. First, I made these gingerbread biscotti. And then I made this pistachio version. Now, I’m recreating the biscotti I first had many years ago – Double Chocolate Biscotti.

RECIPE: https://www.certifiedpastryaficionado.com/double-chocolate-biscotti/
Classic Fruit Tarts – Rich vanilla pastry cream Classic Fruit Tarts – Rich vanilla pastry cream is filled into a buttery mini tart shell and covered with fresh fruit.

I decided to share a recipe that is (1) perfect to serve during the holidays and (2) absolutely gorgeous to look at. And with that, I present to you my Classic Fruit Tarts!

https://www.certifiedpastryaficionado.com/classic-fruit-tarts/
Rosemary Cheese Straws – The Southern cheese str Rosemary Cheese Straws – The Southern cheese straw is flavored with fresh rosemary to give them a sophisticated feel.

I am a snacker, through and through. Before meeting my husband and living together, my meals were not planned out and mostly consisted of a lot of small snacks throughout the day. 

Over time, I learned it’s very hard to coordinate meals and get togethers with others when I’m not super hungry so I learned to adapt. But in my core, I am still a snack lover!

Today’s recipe is my newest snack obsession – Rosemary Cheese Straws

https://www.certifiedpastryaficionado.com/rosemary-cheese-straws/
Split Buns with Cream and Jam – soft, enriched y Split Buns with Cream and Jam – soft, enriched yeast buns split and filled with fresh whipped cream and raspberry jam, then dusted with powdered sugar!

Once again, The Great British Baking Show has led me to a new treat I'd never heard of but was completely entranced by! Devonshire split buns are a popular British treat made with soft baked buns filled with cream and jam, and honestly? I'm obsessed! 

What I love about these buns is how they feel like eating a sweet sandwich – imagine a jam sandwich but in a long bun with whipped cream! Doesn't that make you drool?

The great news is they're super easy to make! With a simple enriched dough recipe and store-bought jam, you can have these buns ready in just a couple of hours! The dough took me some time to develop because I wanted them soft like hot dog buns (but obviously sweeter!), not dense and heavy!

Pro tip: DO NOT slice all the way through! Leave the bottom connected so the buns hold the filling well! Use piping bags with tips to fill neatly – it makes them look bakery-quality!

Perfect for breakfast, dessert, holiday gatherings, brunch, or anytime you want a soft, indulgent treat! 

💬 Comment "SPLITBUNS" for the recipe
💾 SAVE for baking inspiration
📤 SHARE with someone who loves buns!

https://www.certifiedpastryaficionado.com/split-buns-with-cream-and-jam/

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