April 11th, 2013

Springtime at the Market

My first greeting to Spring season was a colorful one. This display of tulips at Thomas Farms was so vibrant and I’m glad the camera was able to capture the colors perfectly.

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March 20th, 2013

Bouchon Bakery: Decorated Pumpkin Muffins

Being that it is the first day of Spring, I know I’m getting a little ahead of myself by making decorated pumpkins but I just couldn’t wait another 6 months to sculpt these.

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February 23rd, 2013

Photo Diary: Chinese New Year

The start of the Year of the Snake in photos

A sea of red confetti on the ground as kids set off fireworks in the middle of a deserted Chinatown. Did not know businesses actually closed that day.

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January 20th, 2013

Chocolate Lab

When I think of the Dogpatch in San Francisco I immediately name Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous, one of my favorite ice cream spots in the city and Esprit Park, a grassy area with picnic tables, idyllic on a sunny day particularly because the Dogpatch is far enough away from the bay so its always a bit warmer. Now I’ll add Chocolate Lab to the list of places to go. Near the park on the corner of a quiet street, the cafe was opened by chocolatier Michael Recchiuti. His chocolate shop in the Ferry Building has a counter of the most beautiful truffles which I have yet to try, but most certainly will after my visit to the Lab.

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December 11th, 2012

Holidays at the Ferry Building

Here are some snapshots from my go-to Ferry Building spots all dressed up for the holidays. I enjoy going every week but something about Christmas time when throngs of people come to discover all these great vendors makes me all the more excited.

Farm Fresh To You twinkling with lights and colorful fruit displayed in front.

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November 11th, 2012

Spider Web Carrot Cake

Inspired by the most adorable spider cake I saw in a Paris bakery window, I made a version with Ina Garten’s Carrot and Pineapple Cake as the base. Studded with walnuts, plump raisins and pineapple it is a moist, rich and dense cake. The outside has a traditional cream cheese frosting, which I dyed orange.

This is really the only time I’ll ever say spiders are cute and I love how they hang down the sides at varying heights.

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October 31st, 2012

Autumn in Paris

This post is one of many documenting my week in Paris, a present to myself for graduating pastry school in the fall of 2012. Every moment was spent eating and one post wasn’t enough. It’s now a short novel. Kidding. I hope.

It was nice to experience Paris in the fall. On previous trips I’ve always had the luxury of the summer warmth and while this time it was an unfriendly 40 degrees, it didn’t stop me from taking in the city by foot. Most of Paris continues to be green but I was happy to find some autumnal colors here and there.

Walking along the Seine river towards the Louvre

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October 8th, 2012

Oktoberfest-Inspired Butterbeer Ice Cream with Pretzel Crunch

I was in the mood to make something for Oktoberfest. Not particularly excited about sausage or sauerkraut I landed on pretzels and beer. But how to make that more exciting? Butterbeer ice cream! The recipe comes from my go-to ice cream book, Humphry Slocombe. To pair with that, I selected a pretzel crunch topping from the Momofuku Milk Bar book from Pastry Chef, Christina Tosi.

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