These matcha creme brulee tarts from Tartine’s latest cookbook are gorgeous and capture everything I love about this landmark San Francisco bakery: they’re classic, updated with a twist, and come together perfectly. The original Tartine cookbook is a long time favorite of mine, a lovely ode to this institution that’s served up sweet bites of […]...
Apple Butter Linzer Cookies
Among the many things I made with my apple picking haul were some apple butter linzer cookies. These spiced cookies really capture the epitome of autumn. If you haven’t made apple butter, it’s basically a very rich, concentrated form of applesauce. There’s no dairy butter in it, just apples, sugar, and spices cooked down to […]...
Autumn Apple Hand Pies
These cute little autumn apple hand pies are some of the happy products of a dreamy weekend spent in the apple orchards. We took Isabelle on her first apple picking experience and she loved it. Like most weekend apple picking visitors, we got carried away and brought home way more apples than we intended. Fortunately, […]...
Stone Fruit Pavlova with Guava Curd
This stone fruit pavlova with guava curd is the perfect farewell to summer, and welcome to fall. What with the crazy abundance of stone fruit right now, and the weather still gloriously warm but with a hint of autumn coolness in the breeze, this seems like a lovely palate cleanser before we head into full-on […]...
Homemade Snow Skin Mooncakes
It’s Mid-Autumn Festival on September 13, and I made homemade snow skin mooncakes for the first time! This is the very first time I’ve ever made mooncakes to celebrate this holiday, so I’m very excited at how they turned out! The traditional Chinese mooncakes, the ones I saw in the bakeries and ate as a […]...
{South Bay}:Best Spots in Los Altos
Happy September! After a travel-filled early summer, I spent most of the rest of July and August staying local. Of course, when local means the Bay Area, it’s not as boring as it sounds. After all these rhapsodic recaps of Italy and France, I realized I should give a little attention to my home too! […]...
Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, baby girl, and rescue cockapoo Snickerdoodle. 
