The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe

By Rebecca Rather andAlison Oresman

A few years ago, baker Rebecca Rather-aka The Pastry Queen-quit the big city, leaving restaurant life to set up shop in Fredericksburg, a favorite Hill Country destination for Austin foodies, B&B fans, cyclists, oenophiles, and antique hunters. A food journalist gave Rather the moniker of Pastry Queen because of the royally irresistible goodies she makes and her sassy, generous native-Texan style. The locals welcomed Rather's down-home baking with its Texas accent and all-American flavor, even pitching in to help her put a fresh coat of paint on the porch of her Main Street shop. Rather takes the best of the Lone Star State-pecans, peaches, pralines, chiles, dulce de leche, German sausage-and turns out treats that taste like home, only better than anything homemade ever tasted before. There are the Bacon-Cheddar Scones, the Texas High Hairs Tarts (the only big hair Rather has ever had!), Fourth-of-July's Fried Pies, Turbo-Charged Brownies with Praline Topping, pillowy Kolaches (yeasted buns with savory fillings), and PB&J Cookies, just to name a few. Self-taught, Rather's 150 utterly original recipes reflect her made-with-love-from-scratch philosophy and are guaranteed to get everyone fixin' to bake.