Want to get on the family's good side this turkey day? Then bake a pie! Sweet, buttery, and comforting, these pastries are a wonderful closing statement to an all-out meal. While it isn't too late to bake up your favorite recipe, pie can be a delicate balance of art and science. So to help you get started, we enlisted Tim Nugent, pastry whiz at San Francisco's Scala's Bistro and Top Chef: Just Read more

The royal wedding is less than two weeks away, and the best way to celebrate such a momentous occasion on YumSugar is, of course, to explore English fare! To start, I looked to one of my favorite British chefs, Jamie Oliver, for a simple Cornish pasty recipe. While the traditional Cornish pasty is a flaky half-circle of crust stuffed with beef, potatoes, yellow turnips, and onion, this recipe Read more

For your best Thanksgiving ever, be sure to end your meal on a high note with a memorable dessert. As an alternative to pumpkin, sweet potato, and pecan pies, offer up a pear tart as well. Unlike other structured fruit cakes and tarts, this pastry — pleated in a free-form manner that's commonly seen in France — is beautiful in an unfussy way. It's also incredibly easy to make, requiring Read more

After satisfying my curiosity about the fine distinction between biscuits and scones, I decided I needed to heed my physical craving for them, too. And given my near-obsession with raspberries this month, what better way than to pull together a quick raspberry scone? The best part of this recipe is the fact that it doesn't require a mixer of any kind; just a food processor — something I Read more

From the flowers to the music, there are a number of crucial elements to every wedding, but in my opinion, there's nothing more exciting than planning the actual cake. Regardless of whether or not she's looking into cake toppers, the cake tower is sure to be at the top of the bride's mind, and a new book, Wedding Cake Art and Design: A Professional Approach by Toba Garrett ($50), is here to help. Read more

I loved Pop-Tarts as a kid and I have such fond memories of the breakfast treat that I was ecstatic when I saw a recipe for a homemade version in Bon Appetit. Instantly, I knew it was an absolute must make. The whole process is actually much easier than I was anticipating and it left me wondering why I hadn't made these earlier. I used two different jams to fill the tarts: a plain strawberry and Read more

PartySugar keeps puff pastry in her freezer; it comes in handy when she's looking for an easy appetizer to pull together at the 11th hour. But what exactly is puff pastry, and what differentiates this dough from others? Puff pastry originated in the 15th century in France, where it's known as pâte feuilletée, or "leafed pastry," a reference to the dough's countless flaky layers. Although its Read more

Spotting flawless asparagus, artichokes, and strawberries in markets this month is exciting enough to want to shout "Spring's here!" from the rooftops. Instead, celebrate the season by highlighting peak produce in an unexpected way: as the star ingredient of a delicate baked tart. Envelop ripe apricots in a simple pie crust to make a free-form dessert. Or, if you're looking for a savory main, top Read more

When I read that yesterday was National Empanada Day, I had a craving so intense for the flaky, savory pastries that I went home and made some! While I enjoy the thick, Spanish pie-shaped empanada, I much prefer the mini, handheld Argentinean variation. They are bite-sized, fun to eat, and can be filled with just about anything. Years ago I spent a month testing out empanada dough recipes until Read more