Linzertorte is of the most famous desserts to come out of Austria, along with Sachertorte (see Rick Rodger’s wonderful Kaffehaus for an absorbing history of Eastern European pastry). A delicate crust made with ground almonds, egg yolks (hard-boiled, different from French pâte sucrée),and spices, is filled with preserves and topped with a lattice crust. Interestingly, […]...
Just a Tiny Little Blip
Hong Kong Bakeries
Just as there seem to be an infinite number of cuisines you can taste in Hong Kong, so there is a myriad of sweets and desserts to choose from. Both traditional-style Chinese desserts and western/European style pastries seem to be increasingly in vogue, with dessert places popping up on every street. Whether you want traditional […]...
Cookie Mania
It’s been unexpectedly and tenaciously rainy in the Bay Area, enough that by last weekend everyone seemed to have a combined case of rainy-day blues and cabin fever. Spring’s supposed to have started – yet all that shows up in the forecasts is more grey skies. A day at home with the rain drizzling by […]...
The Recipe Collection Meme
Rob from the endlessly fascinating Hungry in Hogtown tagged me for this meme. It’s really interesting to think of how differently we all cook and treat our sources of inspiration: How many of us cook after a wonderful meal at a restaurant, or watching a food show, or passing by a tempting bakery? How many […]...
Dessert Before Dinner: Hui Lau Shan
If you would like a refreshing break from walking around the streets of Hong Kong, there are few places more well known or more appealing than the Hui Lau Shan dessert restaurant chain. Why don’t they have more of these types of places in the US instead of opening more Starbucks? (Actually, I just found […]...
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. 
