My very first entry into the monthly Daring Bakers challenge, and coincidentally, also my very first time co-hosting! Helene of the dazzling Tartelette graciously offered to share hosting duties with me – how could I refuse, especially after I learned which dessert she wanted to make! No surprise that the Gâteau St. Honoré would hold […]...
Still Life of Strawberry Tart
There was something about this little tart that made me pause as I was leafing through the cookbook. Something about the simplicity of strawberries arranged on a bed of sunshine-yellow pastry cream and crisp golden shortbread that captured me – here was pastry pared down to luminous, naked essentials. I find a lot of beauty […]...
I've Been Nominated for Best Food Blog!
A Sweet Spring Breeze: Strawberry Semifreddo
The last few times I’ve posted about ice cream, I always get a few e-mails from people bemoaning the fact that they don’t have an ice cream maker and therefore can’t try making the recipe. In the interest of providing equal access to sweet, frozen, creamy treats to all regardless of whether you’ve got one […]...
Gingersnap Lemon Sherbet Sandwiches
We had an unexpected surge in the temperature over the weekend – a shockingly blazing sun in a shiny blue sky, making people scramble in their drawers for tank tops and causing all the green grassy parks to be suddenly carpeted with sunbathers. It’s supposed to be colder in San Francisco when summer approaches, not […]...
Happy Birthday to Me
"Party for Me?" thought Pooh to himself. "How grand!" Forgive me for drawing such attention to myself, but the thing about birthdays is that there is always birthday cake, and so I ask your kind indulgence by presenting to you a very special cake – in fact, a "Perfect Party Cake", as Dorie Greenspan so […]...
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. 
