Los Angeles homecoming is approaching!

Each summer, I say goodbye to Los Angeles and live in the high desert for around three months for work.  During this period, I presume Los Angeles bakers see their sales go down significantly.  Perhaps some even think to themselves, "Kristin, you never call, you never write." Well rest assured, after a little vacation, I will be back in Los Angeles soon and ready to taste and blog devotedly about everything you have to offer.  I also plan to give some attention to my severely neglected oven, which I have not baked in for far too long.

Before going out of town for my annual September vacation, I got a head start on my approaching homecoming by spending a few days moving my life back to LA.  And even more exciting than not living out of a suitcase was my first post-high-desert late night bakery visit: a spontaneous stop at Figaro in Los Feliz.  

It turns out that if you're aching to go to Paris (which is most of the time, for me), you can come here to enjoy something buttery while also overhearing real French people charmingly discuss things in their native tongue.  And even better, Figaro stays open until 10:30 most days and 11 pm Friday and Saturday.  With these hours, The Great American Bakery Hunt can add Figaro to the list of late night LA dessert spots in our ongoing investigation of LA's late night dessert shortage.  (If I wanted to be truly sensationalistic, I might even call it a crisis.)

In the picture above,  you can see Figaro's powdered sugar-dusted butter cookie with jam in the center.  However, instead of enjoying this cookie among the French conversationalists, I enjoyed it back at a cozy LA apartment paired with a Pannepøt, a Belgian beer brewed by De Struise Brouwers.


Nothing says perfect LA homecoming like cookies and craft beer.  Readers, have you also had a busy summer?  Ring in the new fall by making friends with your oven again.  Bake a little, drink a little craft beer, and enjoy the leaves changing-- I've heard rumors that leaves do this in other parts of the world, although I am personally surrounded by palm trees.  Whatever your landscape situation, Happy Fall!

The Great American Bakery Hunt to attend International Food Blogger Conference in Seattle!

The Great American Bakery Hunt is attending the International Food Blogger Conference in Seattle!  I am really pumped to attend this conference, which will be the perfect wrap-up to a summer of running camp sessions, a season when I have little time to blog and most of my culinary conversations involve camp food.  (Don't get me wrong, camp food has its charms, but I miss being able to spontaneously cook whatever I want or discover hole in the wall eateries in LA!) 


Anyway, I am looking forward to learning from everyone, bringing some good ideas back from the conference, meeting others from the food blogosphere, and to eating Seattle food and wandering around Pike's Place.

So please, stay tuned...
You may have noticed that my posts are minimal lately, but have no fear, the hunt is on!   I must take somewhat of an annual hiatus during summertime due to working at a year-round camp for kids, but the hunt will be back in full force this fall.  Thanks for reading!

Hello, old friend...

It's that time of the year when my studio apartment turns into a toaster oven, when the beaches overflow with umbrellas, sandcastles, and well-fed pigeons, and when you may think it not possible, Southern California goes even more casual. It's also the time when kids go away to summer camp, which means I go away to summer camp too-- in preparation for providing campers with the best week of their lives. Since while you're at camp, there is nothing more important than nurturing the success of these campers, this also leads to the annual hiatus of Great American Bakery Hunt.

Never fear bakery hunters, I may never write nor call during the summer, but I was able to hunt around a bit during a rare Sunday off. After many hours of sleep, I was able to catch the last ten minutes of the Main Street Farmer's market-- and just before the air horn signaled the end, I beelined it to the Cafe Laurent stand. Their sweet and savory croissants never let me down-- they taste even better, more decadent during a camp food furlough.

A stroll down Montana and a stop into the charming Hoot and Heart Flower shop gave me a new bakery lead: Christine Moore's Little Flower Candy Company. Hoot and Heart's ode to the decadent includes not only beautiful and unique arrangements, but gives flower lovers something sweet to consider by carrying Moore's mallows. After researching more about Moore, I learned she is also a pastry chef, so I'm definitely looking forward to visiting her storefront in Pasadena.

Farewell for now, old friend. My posts are sure to be few and far between in the next couple months, but I promise to return and continue my dedication to spreading the word of the best baked goods around!

Summer is just 'round the corner

Thanks to one lovely individual, I had the great fortune of trying DeLuscious Cookies this past Sunday. It's worth noting that DeLuscious delivers fresh cookies AND milk throughout the LA area.

The cookies made for the perfect conclusion of a busy weekend up at camp. With summer just around the corner and the weather warming up, these arrival of the cookies was destiny. Their unexpected presence begged for an ice cold glass of milk, a refreshing contrast to the sunny weather. And once the day's work was wrapping up late Sunday afternoon and I got my hands on some moo juice, I couldn't help thinking it was the perfect Sunday.

It's great to explore some new bakeries, and it's even more fun when it's by surprise. Random acts of cookie kindness are the best kind, in my opinion. (I've mentioned before my love for that famous cookie-giving scene from Man on the Moon). It's especially nice to stay in the know as the summer approaches, since the Great American Bakery Hunt will be taking it's annual camp hiatus come June. Eating these cookies from DeLuscious, fresh and scrumptious as they were, also inspired me to do a little of my own baking. With a recipe from my King Arthur Flour Cookbook, I created a milk chocolate chip, orange zest, & pistachio recipe, made with almond extract. It's been a great few days for The American Bakery Hunt!