eat dessert first
This gorgeous lavender* (salvia) plant is from Stephen Durfee’s garden in Napa, CA. It inspired my to make a lavender simple syrup on a hot day and drizzle it on a honey cake with blueberries. The following recipe can be made with rosemary, lemon thyme, star anise, cinnamon sticks, organic […]
Thank you all for the lovely comments on Claudia’s cake. It was so much fun to make. Now I will show you how to make the flowers. I used rolled fondant, but you can also use pastillage/gum paste, which will dry faster and harder. They are used in exactly the […]
My neighbors Cynthia and Trent asked me to make a cake for their mom’s birthday party. Of course I wanted to do it, but as they described the style of cake she wanted I got downright giddy about it. “Something bright, colorful and wildly whimsical” were the words they used […]
My friend Michelle, pastry chef extraordinaire (more on that later!), and I went to Porter & Frye for a little late night bite to eat. This was a spontaneous get together, a stolen moment between work and mothering. I’ve been wanting to try Porter & Frye because the executive chef, […]
This rhubarb compote is one of my oldest recipes! It only requires a few simple ingredients to make a tasty treat that can be used on all kinds of desserts. Here in Minneapolis, otherwise known as gardening Zone 4, we jump for joy when we see ramps and rhubarb. Rhubarb […]
Elizabeth wrote and asked me about assembling the Blueberry Lemon Curd Ring from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (page 228). I already had the Brioche dough, in my mini dorm fridge filled with buckets, and I had just made the lemon curd for mother’s day so it was […]
These chocolate soufflé cupcakes is a great little hit of chocolate and coffee for when you need a fix. They are my two favorite vices. Well, the two that come to mind right now. My day ALWAYS starts with a cup of coffee in the morning. About midday I open […]
Pastry cream is one of the most versatile recipes in a professional pastry kitchen (and your home). It is used for the filling of eclairs, napoleons, fruit tarts, banana cream pie, trifle, and just scooped out of the bowl with a spoon. It is essentially “kick-ass” vanilla pudding, to quote […]
This post is from 2008, the early years of my blogging. I left the old how-to photos as a reminder of where I started in this game. 😉 I have a more recent video in the recipe to show the process of making the sauce. Enjoy! Crème Anglaise is one […]
Order my New York Times Best Selling cookbook, Zoë Bakes Cookies, now! Last week was my aunt Kristin’s birthday, and she had only one request of me: butter shortbread cookies. She is a woman of very discerning tastes and gave me explicit directions on just how she wanted them baked. […]
This week I discovered something that has changed my kitchen forever. I made my own ricotta cheese. It was a suggestion from one of the people at eGullet. We were discussing the recipe for calzone from the book and we were lamenting the state of ricotta cheese that is available […]
Inspiration comes from the strangest places! This candied ginger truffles recipe was inspired by a 6 year old girl scout, a professor at the CIA and a “hot mama” with a blog called the Steamy Kitchen.
I'm Zoë François and I love to bake. This is where I play with sugar and take the mystery out of baking everything from cookies to wedding cakes. I studied pastry at the CIA (the culinary school, not the spy agency), worked in restaurants, have written 10 cookbooks and you can find more of my creations in my Substack Newsletter and YouTube videos. More...
