Critique du Publishers Weekly

In this worthy debut collection, Yeow, host of Australian TV's Poh & Co and Poh's Kitchen, presents 100 savory and sweet baked dishes. A sense of whimsy permeates the book with such chapters as "Thrills and Frills" and "Sweetie Pies & Tantalizing Tarts." She includes British favorites such as a Blueberry Bakewell Tart, a shortbread pastry with jam and frangipane, and a currant tea cake, made with brewed Earl Grey black tea. French baking figures heavily with such offerings as the "Milly Frilly aka Mille-Feuille aka French Vanilla Slice," a chic six-layer concoction of puff pastry and two types of cream. The prune & armagnac Breton from French pastry chef Eric Pernoud is a stunning baked round of pastry filled with pitted prunes, orange juice, rum, and Armagnac. Asian-influenced dishes include Kuih Kapid-Coconut Love Letters, which are folded Malaysian-style wafers pressed in a pizzelle maker. For dinner parties, Poh recommends the savory baked wheel of Camembert with thyme, garlic, and red wine. Her tart of mixed mushrooms and hazelnut-fanned filo cups filled with a mushroom and a nut mixture-is also company-worthy. Dog lovers, meanwhile, can delight in making chicken liver treats. Full-page color photos and cheerful illustrations make this inspiring and solid collection gift-worthy. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.