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Dessert First

a san francisco food and travel blog | all things sweet

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French Blueberry Lemon Curd Tarts

Aug 22 by Anita 4 Comments

Hope you have been enjoying your summer! This French blueberry lemon curd tart is an updated version of one of my favorite tart combos: buttery French-style lemon curd with fresh dark berries. The very first time I made this was Claudia Fleming’s very excellent version with a graham cracker crust, and Pierre Hermé’s famous lemon […]...

Filed Under: Fruit, Pastry, Recipes, Tarts Tagged With: blueberry, lemon cream, lemon curd, pierre herme, tart

Best Baking Cookbooks of 2015

Dec 17 by Anita 2 Comments

I’m always so excited when I get to do my holiday roundup of best baking cookbooks of 2015, partly because I finally have an excuse to sit down and go through the cookbooks piling up on my shelf! I may not have enough time during the rest of the year – or ever – to […]...

Filed Under: Cookbooks, Reviews Tagged With: best baking cookbooks, chocolate chip cookie, cookbook, gesine bullock-prado, middle east baking, pierre herme, review, roundup, sarabeth levine, scandinavian baking

Pierre Hermé Macarons at SF Cooking School

Aug 13 by Anita 46 Comments

SF Cooking school macaron class It’s been a while since my pastry school days, and oftentimes I feel the itch to get back into class to keep up with the newest trends, brush up on old skills, or just to be around some nice shiny professional equipment again. After talking to chef Nicole Plue about […]...

Filed Under: Cookies, Pastry School, Recipes, San Francisco, Sweet Spots Tagged With: macaron, nicole plue, pastry class, pastry school, pierre herme, san francisco, SF Cooking School

Pierre Hermé Hong Kong – Macaron Heaven

Jan 15 by Anita 11 Comments

One of the highlights of my visit to Hong Kong was a long-awaited reunion with one of my favorite patisseries: Pierre Hermé. While the macaron craze seems to have leveled out in the US, it’s going strong in Hong Kong. Ladureé and La Maison du Chocolat, among others, have already opened branches in Hong Kong, […]...

Filed Under: Asia, Sweet Spots, Travel Tagged With: hong kong, macaron, pierre herme

{Cookbook Review}: 2011 Holiday Baking Cookbooks

Dec 8 by Anita 7 Comments

It’s that time again for one of my favorite posts of the year – the baking cookbook roundup! I’m guessing that everyone is in holiday shopping mode, so if you’re still looking for a gift for your favorite baker, or maybe for your own bookshelf, there’s a great selection of baking cookbooks looking for an […]...

Filed Under: Cookbooks, Reviews Tagged With: art of french baking, baking style, cookbook, cooking light, cooking with chocolate, culinarian, dolci, gobba gobba hey, karen krasne, macarons, pierre herme, review, sweet invention

Pierre Hermé, Macarons, and Me

Oct 12 by Anita 17 Comments

Hello! I’m back from a week in sunny Florida, where it didn’t feel like fall at all. But I have a surprise side story: while I was there, I made a quick side trip to New York, and the 6th Star Chefs International Culinary Congress.  I didn’t intend to mix business with pleasure, but there […]...

Filed Under: Cookies, Personal, Recipes, Travel Tagged With: ICC, macarons, new york, pierre herme, StarChefs


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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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