Ring in new year with European flair
Elevate holiday spread with elegant finger food
PITTSBURGH — Adam Bates didn’t set out to be a pastry chef, let alone one creating gorgeous European-style desserts.
He didn’t have a clue about baking or cooking until he was well into his 20s. As an artistic kid who found joy in design, he had wanted to be a tattoo artist, or perhaps a painter or illustrator.
Although that didn’t happen, he pursued his artistic creativity in a different direction by launching Harrison’s Fine Pastries in 2018.
In 2012, New York magazine’s Grub Street editors included his banana bread French toast on a list of America’s most “CrazyAwesome New Desserts.”
The 31-year-old’s culinary treats have gotten even more awe-inspiring in the years since.
Looking at Bates’ gorgeous handiwork, it might seem impossible for a rookie home baker to create a treat for a special occasion like New Year’s Eve. That’s not true, he says, but the recipes should be picked wisely.
Bates suggest an easy favorite that is relatable and completely doable: a cream puff (choux) filled with a chocolate-Nutella ganache.
Since an Eve celebration cannot be all about just sweets, we also have two savory recipes with French appeal — an easy mushroom pate to spread on slices of baguette and cheddar gougères, a type of cheese puff that pairs well with a flute of Champagne.
NUTELLA CHOUX
This recipe calls for filling the choux from a small hole in the top until the ganache oozes out, but you also could also slice the choux in half and fill them like sandwiches.
The ganache recipe makes about 3 cups, or a lot more than you’ll need to fill 4 dozen choux. You can half the recipe if you like, or use the leftovers as an icing for cookies or for pancakes or waffles.
For the pastry dough:
1 c. all-purpose flour
Kc. whole milk
Kc. water
1 t. sugar
1K t. kosher salt
8 T. unsalted butter
5 whole eggs, blended with
a fork
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees for non-convection, or 325 degrees for convection oven.
Sift the flour and set aside. Combine milk, water, sugar, salt and butter, and bring to a boil until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat, add the sifted flour all at once, and mix with a wooden spoon steadily until all of the flour is combined.
Return the pan to the heat and continue to mix for 2 to 3 minutes to dry the dough slightly. Transfer the choux dough to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes to cool the dough slightly.
Turn the mixer to low speed and add the blended eggs in 4 parts. Wait for each addition of eggs to emulsify before adding the next. When all of the eggs are combined, fill a piping bag fitted with a round (No. 804) tip and pipe 50 cent piecesized drops of choux onto a tray lined with parchment paper or a Silpat.
Dust with powdered sugar and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the choux are well-browned. Remove from the oven and cool.
For the Nutella ganache:
5 T. unsalted butter
5 T. honey
450 ml heavy cream
2 c. dark chocolate (64%
cacao), finely chopped
Kc. Nut ella
Heat the butter, honey and cream to a bare simmer. Combine chocolate and Nutella in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot cream mixture over it in thirds, stirring with a spatula to combine before adding the next third.
When all of the cream is combined with the chocofoodandwine. late and Nutella, pour it into a clean container and lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the top of the ganache. Refrigerate until the plastic wrap can be removed cleanly and the ganache is set, but still pliable.
Fill a piping bag, and cut a small hole in the top of each of the choux. Fill each puff completely with ganache from the piping bag. Serve the same day. Makes at least 48 choux.
(Recipe from Adam Bates, Harrison’s Fine Pastries, Pittsburgh.)
CHEDDAR GOUGÈRES
Serve them hot, or let cool and refrigerate or freeze. Then reheat in a 350-degree oven until piping hot.
1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for greasing baking sheets
K t. kosher salt
1 c. all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 c. shredded extra-sharp cheddar, Gruyere, Swiss or Parmesan cheese, divided
1 c. water
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and position racks in the upper and middle thirds. Lightly butter 2 large baking sheets.
In a large saucepan, combine the butter, water and salt and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Let cool slightly. Then, using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat in the eggs 1 at a time, beating thoroughly between additions. Beat in all but 2 tablespoons of the cheese.
Using a 1 tablespoon ice cream scoop, scoop level mounds of the dough onto the baking sheets, 1K inches apart.
Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese and bake for 12 minutes, until golden and risen. Shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking.
Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Pierce each gougère near the bottom with a skewer and return the sheets to the oven. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, until crisp, puffed and deeply golden. Transfer the gougères to racks to cool. Serve the gougères warm or at room temperature. Makes 40 gougeres.
(Recipe adapted from com.)
MUSHROOM PATE
This make-ahead vegetarian appetizer can be served on crackers, toast points or with crusty bread. I used cremini mushrooms and several pinches of red pepper flakes.
2 T. unsalted butter
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil,
divided
2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 small shallot, chopped 2 stems fresh thyme Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, or more as needed
1 lb. fresh mushrooms (such as portobello, cremini or shiitake), cleaned, trimmed and coarsely chopped
3 T. dry sherry
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper K c. loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 T. cream cheese
Heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the garlic and shallot; cook for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the thyme sprigs and crushed red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute.
Add the mushrooms and the remaining tablespoon of oil. Increase the heat to medium. Continue to cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid released from the mushrooms has almost evaporated. Add the sherry and season lightly with salt and black pepper. Cook for 10 minutes more, or until all the liquid in the pan has evaporated. Let cool.
Discard the thyme stems, then transfer the mushrooms to a food processor along with the parsley. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the cream cheese and pulse just until incorporated.
Taste and add more salt, black pepper and/or crushed red pepper flakes, as needed. The paté is ready to serve or it can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
(Recipe adapted from “Apéritif: 100 Recipes for Drinks and Snacks” by Rebekah Peppler, Clarkson Potter; October 2018.)