9.03.2014

Scenes From Sugar Rush 2014 At Harvest

Starting with pain perdu; continuing with a summer composition of peaches, blueberries, and cornmeal crepes; Turkish ice cream and blackberries; and a new spin on childhood cereal favorites; and ending with a rich, decadent chocolate tart, Sugar Rush is a dessert lover's dream come true.

The five-course dessert tasting was held last Wednesday evening at Harvest in Harvard Square. Harvest's pastry chef Brian Mercury organized the event and invited other local pastry chefs to participate. Everyone prepped at their own restaurants and then helped each other plate in Harvest's kitchen.

Hazelnut Pain Perdu by Brian Mercury of Harvest
Hazelnut Pain Perdu by Brian Mercury of Harvest
with house-made ricotta fro-yo, honey mousse, and fennel jam
paired with Villa des Anges, Rose of Cinsault, Old Vines, Vin de Pays d'Oc, France

The desserts moved from savory, to fruit-laden, to rich and chocolaty. Mercury's dessert was first, a seemingly simple plate of pain perdu (a sort of elevated French toast). But with the addition of honey mousse, which I'm craving more of, the dessert went from simple to my favorite of the evening. If there's any talk of adding this to Harvest's brunch menu, I'm behind that 100%!

Blue Cornmeal Crepe with Sweet Corn Cream by Kelcey Rusch of Bergamot
Blue Cornmeal Crepe with Sweet Corn Cream by Kelcey Rusch of Bergamot
with peaches and blueberries, smoked corn clusters, and avocado-lime sorbet
paired with Saracco, Moscato d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy

Cornmeal crepes and ripe summer fruit drizzled with luscious corn cream and balanced by crunchy, smoky corn clusters came next, from Kelcey Rusch of Bergamot.

Blackberries & Melon by Molly Rabideau of Oleana
Blackberries & Melon by Molly Rabideau of Oleana
with dondurma kaymakli (Turkish ice cream) with blackberries and rose geranium
paired with Pierre Sparr, Brut Rose, Cremant d'Alsace, France

Then there was Turkish ice cream, with wonderful chewy, nutty candy bites and a rose geranium syrup from Molly Rabideau of Oleana.

"If I was 12 . . ." by Jared Bacheller of L'Espalier
"If I was 12 . . ." by Jared Bacheller of L'Espalier
with Cocoa Puffs, Fruity Pebbles, & Cap'n Crunch
paired with Elio Perrone, Bigaro, Brachetto/Moscato Blend, Piedmont, Italy

Jared Bacheller of L'Espalier's dessert featured a creative composition of cereal-flavored ice cream covered in colorful gelee and thin dinosaur crisps, as well as bits of crunchy marshmallow.

Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse Tart by Jessica Scott of Brown Butter Bakery
Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse Tart by Jessica Scott of Brown Butter Bakery
with pickled mango, black sesame, coconut, and coffee
paired with Fonseca, Bin 27, Ruby Port, Portugal

And last but definitely not least was a bittersweet chocolate mousse tart from Jessica Scott of Brown Butter Bakery. The tart was decadent and amazing, but the crunchy black sesame seed adornment took it over the top, as did little coconut-flavored dollops on the plate.

The event concluded with a toast with the pastry chefs of a complimentary palate cleanser, the Jardin 75, a refreshing mix of gin, lemon, cava, and jasmine-cardamom simple syrup.

A second Sugar Rush evening with a new lineup of pastry chefs will be held again tonight at Harvest. If indulging in five courses of desserts sounds like a great way to spend an evening to you, find more info on Harvest's website.

Five courses of desserts -- does this sound like your kind of event?

This event was complimentary. As always, all opinions are my own.