Thursday, October 1, 2009

Sweet Season

Fleur De Sel Caramels

As the holidays approach, we cherish spending time at home with friends and family, making sweet treats and sharing or swapping them. But even while we're focusing on our kitchens and our communities, we enjoy imagining how the rest of the world is celebrating this special season. Luckily, we've found a way to combine both inclinations: with recipes that bring the world into our homes.

To help us gather recipes for bite-size treats from all over the globe, we turned to expert bakers Emily Luchetti and Anita Chu. Emily's a cookbook author and the pastry chef at two renowned San Francisco restaurants, Waterbar and Farallon. Anita's a popular blogger at Dessert First and the author of two dessert "field guides." Although their recipes are international, they require no exotic ingredients—well, very few!—and instructions are adapted for American cooks. Best of all, with just a little embellishment these candies and cookies are perfect for sharing and gift giving. Let's start the world tour!

Baker's Profile

Anita Chu

Anita Chu

Many people who buy Anita Chu's cookbooks—Field Guide to Cookies and Field Guide to Candy—are surprised to learn about her day job: she's a consulting structural engineer for a firm in San Francisco. "At first I saw baking as a way to exercise my right brain after a day in the 'number space,'" Anita says. "But then I realized that engineering and baking are similar. Both involve precision. And some desserts, like wedding cakes, are architectural!"

In the News

A Great Year for the Great American Bake Sale!

What's the next best thing to baking for loved ones? Baking to support a worthy cause. And we can't think of a worthier cause than feeding hungry children in your community and beyond.