During my junior year of college, I spent a semester studying in Toulouse, France. There were a few Canadian students in our study abroad group, and with the advantage of French as their first language, they seemed to figure out the city much quicker than we did. It took us three days to get our
10 Bakeries to Visit in Chicago
Food is always my priority when I travel and I am lucky to have great friends who go along with my crazy eating plans. Last weekend, I convinced Annie (you met her here) to do a pastry tour of Chicago with me. We came up with a list of bakeries together and Annie planned out our
All Butter Pie Crust – Part 1: Mixing the Dough
My absolute favorite thing to bake is pie crust. I’ve always had a love for pie, but making pie dough did not come easily for me. I can remember several Thanksgiving and Christmas pie baking attempts that resulted in burnt edges, crusts slumped and shrunk in the pan, a broken food processor, a major burn on my
Tips for Better Baking – Week Four
Every day in January I am sharing my best Tips for Better Baking. These are tips that have made my kitchen life easier and helped me become a better baker. Follow along on Facebook or check back here each Sunday for a roundup of the week’s tips. If you’re just joining us, be sure to
Cookbook Review: Sugar Rush by Johnny Iuzzini
It can be tough to find great baking cookbooks. Too often, pastry books have beautiful ideas but do not include the professional knowledge and exact methods needed to execute them. On the other hand, sometimes baking books are too technical and the recipes are boring and stale. But, the worst offense is recipes that are