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Dessert First

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Seashell Macarons with Sea Salt Vanilla Buttercream

Oct 12 by Anita 3 Comments

I wanted to share a special order I did for a client a month ago: seashell macarons for a mermaid-themed birthday party. Although I’ve made Minnie macarons for my daughter’s birthday, I haven’t tried piping any more complex shapes, so this was a fun challenge. They were surprisingly easy to do and make a striking […]...

Filed Under: Cookies, Pastry, Recipes Tagged With: buttercream, macaron, seashell

Peach Plum Tart with Cinnamon Vanilla Pastry Cream

Oct 6 by Anita 1 Comment

It’s a little bit after stone fruit season, but I wanted to share one of the last fruit tarts I made a couple weeks ago: a peach plum tart with cinnamon pastry cream. It was a last-minute creation for a weekend picnic, but I ended up making perfect use of the peaches and plums we […]...

Filed Under: Fruit, Recipes, Tarts Tagged With: autumn, fall, fruit tart, pastry cream, peach, plum, summer, tart

{San Francisco}: Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival

Oct 4 by Anita 2 Comments

Whenever first-time visitors to San Francisco ask me about sweets and dessert, it’s near impossible not to list Ghirardelli Square. The iconic brick building looking out over the bay and Ghirardelli’s little chocolate squares are synonymous with the city itself. Besides a tour of the chocolate factory and their famous ice cream sundaes, the Ghirardelli […]...

Filed Under: Events, San Francisco, SF Events, Sweet Spots Tagged With: chocolate, event, food festival, Ghirardelli, Ghirardelli chocolate festival, san francisco

Fresh Fig Mascarpone Tart in Cornmeal Crust

Sep 20 by Anita 3 Comments

Continuing my tart obsession with a quintessential ode to fall: a fresh fig mascarpone tart in a cornmeal crust specked with fresh rosemary. It’s hard to “do” anything to figs when it’s peak fig season; they’re so perfect on their own, I don’t even feel the need to bake them or anything else. The tart […]...

Filed Under: Recipes, Tarts Tagged With: autumn, cornmeal, fall, fig, mascarpone, rosemary, tart

{San Francisco}:Eat Drink SF 2016

Sep 14 by Anita 4 Comments

After a summer of food and wine events, it’s always exhilarating to go out with a bang. Eat Drink SF, a weekend-long festival of food, wine, and spirits from around the Bay Area, was a delicious way to close out August. Over 160 Bay Area restaurants, along with over 70 bars, wineries, and distilleries served […]...

Filed Under: San Francisco, SF Events Tagged With: eat drink sf, event, festival, restaurant, review, san francisco

My Disney Alaska Cruise: Itinerary Guide

Aug 22 by Anita 5 Comments

                  Happy Monday! I’m happy to share the second post in my Disney Alaska cruise review series. This post covers the itinerary of the seven day Disney Wonder cruise up to Alaska, and what activities we enjoyed at the ports. First, Alaska is of course a wonderful […]...

Filed Under: Alaska, Travel Tagged With: alaska, cruise, disney

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Archives

best of dessert first


The Making of Macarons (Sucre Cuit Style)

Hong Kong Eggettes (Daan Jai)


Tis the Season (Chocolate Mint Macarons)

A Better Brioche


Consider the Humble Chocolate Chip Cookie

A Feast of Figs


Pure Dessert, Pure Inspiration (Chocolate Citrus Tart)

My Own Remembrance of Things Past: Daan Tats


The Slow Drip of Coffee on a Languorous Summer's Day

Still Life of Strawberry Tart

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about pastrygirl

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, daughter, and dog Max. More about pastrygirl

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Please e-mail anita {at} dessertfirstgirl {dot} com with all collaboration inquiries, pastry questions, or just to say hi! I look forward to hearing from you!
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