MUSIC CITY

REASONS TO

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Clockwise from top left: Loveless Café; Husk Nashville; Etch Restaurant; Riff’s Café

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And lastly, because our pastry chefs are sweeter than pie. SPICED PEAR PIEAlisa Huntsman, Loveless Café“If you combine spicy pears, creamy buttermilk ice cream, and tart blackberries on a single plate, a little magic happens. My choice of garam masala to flavor the pie may sound unusual, crazy even, but take my word for it, it works. Pears tend to be more fragrant than flavorful, and sometimes they need a little boost. The buttermilk ice cream, with its hint of lemon and vanilla, not only adds a creamy aspect but keeps

the heat factor in check.” (lovelesscafe.com)

CARAMEL LAYER CAKELisa Donovan, Husk Nashville“All of my layer cakes are works in progress, but my caramel cake is very close to being exactly as I hoped it would be. They develop over time by finding the right cake base, which has to be just the right crumb structure for the frosting, and by finding the right (balanced) frosting. There are infinite recipes and methods for caramel cake frosting. I’ve taken a lot of cues from late 19th- and early- to mid-20th- century recipes, building around those early heritage basics and ingredients with good technique and high-quality

products.” (husknashville.com)

MOCHA CRÉMEUXMegan Williams, Etch Restaurant“I wanted to do a dessert with milk chocolate that was a little more playful than [a] super-rich chocolate dessert. A crémeux is halfway between pudding and ganache. I also wanted to serve it with my goat’s milk caramel because it’s a delicious sauce and I love Noble Springs milk. So I needed a third flavor, something fruity [and] a fellow cook suggested banana. I ended up making roasted banana sorbet and adding a piece of brûléed banana, plus a coffee crisp made from phyllo dough. [Our] line cooks will often have a great idea. And they’re always happy

to be my taste testers!” (etchrestaurant.com)

SAMOAS, OATMEAL CRÈME PIES, AND SWISS CAKE ROLLS Audra Dykes, Riffs Café “The first nostalgic treat I played with was the Samoa. It’s my favorite Girl Scout cookie, and I wanted to be able to have them year-round, so I made my own. It has all the elements I’m looking for when I create desserts: crunchy, sweet, salty. I expanded my experimentation with my version of other favorites, like Swiss Cake Rolls, Oatmeal Crème Pies, Twix, Thin Mints, Star Crunch, and Snickers.”

(facebook.com/riffscafe)

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