What Can I Bring?: Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life

Elsass (Maple Syrup) answers the question he poses in the title of this personable cookbook with 75 recipes for dips, breads, salads, beverages, and desserts. There’s caesar salad with a hummus-based dressing, fried halloumi caprese, and vegetarian “Faux Gras” made with cashews. Elsass provides some helpful maxims for guests: “If you’re always on time, bring appetizers,” like Lebanese muhammara, a red pepper and pomegranate dip, but “if you’re reliably late, bring a drink,” like a pitcher of lemonade, margaritas, or hazelnut eggnog. Recipes are sorted by effort required, from “In Your Sleep” easy to “Roll Up Your Sleeves” complex, with six particularly impressive offerings earning “Bragging Rights.” Most don’t come with suggestions for what kind of event they would best suit, but Elsass does devote an entire chapter to brunch fare, featuring loaded rösti, and yogurt parfait. Two dessert chapters reflect a range of effort and pizzazz: rice krispies are a quick treat, while raspberry meringue tart is a showstopper. A brief final section on foodie hostess gifts, including homemade jam and herb-infused oil, rounds things out. Given the festive focus, some serving sizes seem small—a recipe for gochujang cheddar scones, for example, only makes six—but Elsass’s “party tricks,” including tips on transporting dishes, are a plus. This is sure to come in handy. (May)