Andrew of Spittoon Extra has picked a very fun and timely theme for this month’s Sugar High Friday: Apples and alcohol. Timely because the markets are overflowing with all sorts of apples in their round-cheeked, rosy-skinned glory, and fun because, well, spirits always make things a little more fun. I also found the perfect recipe […]...
A Better Brioche for World Bread Day
Do bad things always happen in threes? My pastry teacher told us that she would always get kitchen injuries in groups of three. While that hasn’t happened to me so far (knock on wood), I did encounter a couple of technological mishaps in my attempts to bake something for World Bread Day – this entry […]...
Consider the Humble Chocolate Chip Cookie
Regan Daley’s Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies After weeks of poring over new cookbooks and testing out new recipes, I suddenly felt the urge to do something simple and familiar. Maybe it’s the increasingly nippy fall mornings, the grey clouds trundling across the sky like a soft cuddly blanket being unrolled, but I felt […]...
{Cookbook Review} A Sneak Peek at Desserts by the Yard
If you recall my cookbook wishlist from a few weeks ago, you’ll know that my bookcase is being threatened with imminent collapse in the next couple of months. How fortunate then that I recently received an advance copy of Sherry Yard’s upcoming Desserts by the Yard: since it was softcover and weighed less, I was […]...
Daring Bakers Challenge: Cinnamon Rolls and Sticky Buns
The Daring Bakers got a two-for-one challenge this month, courtesy of our lovely hostess Marce: a recipe for cinnamon rolls that could also be turned into sticky buns! Although yeast is not really my forte, I do have a terrible weakness for morning pastries: the sweeter and gooey-er, the better. Bear claws and almond croissants […]...
SHF#35: A Feast of Figs
Trust Ivonne of the wonderful Cream Puffs in Venice to come up with the perfect theme for this month’s Sugar High Friday: figs. I will admit that figs were never my favorite fruit; I liked them well enough but I always preferred eating, and baking, with other more familiar fruits. This might partly be because […]...
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. 
