A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

Sunday night I had my favorite kind of tasting menu…a 5 course dessert tasting! I was lucky enough to be a guest at Sugar Rush 2017, the creation of Jaime Schick – the talented pastry chef that has worked at places like No. 9 Park and Deuxave. She is in her fifth year of running Sugar Rush, and this year, the proceeds from the event went to Bakes for Breast Cancer. Through dessert oriented events like this one, Bakes for Breast Cancer raises money and awareness for breast cancer. The event was located at Rail Stop Restaurant and Bar, near the New Balance Headquarters in Brighton.

The first course was a Watermelon Herbed Vacherin: lemongrass poached blueberries, candied watermelon, and meringue. How beautiful is this dessert? A great way to kick off the evening. Super summery with the fresh fruit and such a fun twist with the crown of meringue.

The amazingly talented Shaun Velez, of Deuxave, created this dessert. See my previous post about him here. I am always so excited to see the things that Shaun creates, each one more spectacular than the next!

The optional drink pairing for this course was a “Flower Power 75“: Bombay Dry Gin, St. Germaine, and Sparkling White Wine. Going out for drinks these days isn’t what is used to be – it’s an experience.  This drink was thoughtfully created, right down to what they put into the ice cubes.

All drink pairings were by Eli Shapiro, Bar Manager, Rail Stop Restaurant and Bar. All their craft beer is local and all of their cordials are made in house.

After something sweet, you need some salt to balance things out. Executive Chef Jonathan Schick is a “popcorn genius”, claims his wife, and Sugar Rush 2017 creator, Jaime.

Course #2, a Coconut Mousse: cucumber mint sorbet, and caramelized quinoa. I wasn’t sure I was going to like this one, to be honest, because coconut isn’t one of my favorite flavors, and we all know how I feel about quinoa. The coconut flavor was so subtle and the dessert was so light and refreshing. I loved the cucumber sorbet – a nod to Jean Georges cucumber soup. Caramelized quinoa might be the only way I want to eat quinoa from now on!

Stacy Mirabello, of Johnson & Whales University created this beautiful dessert.

Drink pairing #2 was the “What’s Pimpin’ Pimms“: Pimms No. 1, with cucumber and mint. Such a fun drink, and I do love anything with gin these days. Very bright and perfect for summer!

The pairing and flavors were a nice play off of Stacy’s dessert.

Course #3, Salted Caramel Macarons: passion fruit sorbet, almond, plums, and Laphroaig whisky. THIS is how macarons should taste! Perfectly light, super fresh, with an equally light filling. The passion fruit sorbet was a bright kick in the dessert, balancing the smoky gelée. I loved everything about this dessert.

Katie Hamilburg created this dessert. The Wayland native is the pastry chef at 80 Thoreau in Concord. Katie was a professional ballet dancer and after her career, she moved back to Boston to pursue her love of pastry. She helped open Bergamot as the pastry assistant to Stacy Mirabello (see above).

The “Figroni“: (in house) Barrel Aged Negroni, House Made Fig Cordial and Citrus. Because all good drinks should be garnished with bacon and a cheese curd! A really nice pairing to the dessert, playing off of the smokiness. Whoa, we should start pacing ourselves, because these drink pairings were certainly on the generous side!

Course #4: Peach Cobbler: rosemary, olive oil and basil. Such a lovely spin on a classic dessert. The presentation was just lovely and this was probably my favorite dessert of the evening.  The whipped cream was heavenly and the cookies just melted away in your mouth. I never wanted this to end.

Jesse Jackson III of No. 9 Park is the talent behind this dessert. This makes me want to head back to No. 9 Park soon!

“Basil Bourbon Bellini“: Eagle Rare, Bubbles, and a Peach – Basil Syrup. Sweet but not too sweet, and a perfect compliment to the dessert. The peach ring was dehydrated and was the grown up version to those peach gummy rings you know you used to love.

Course #5: Raspberry Whoopie Pies: raspberry meringue, mocha sauce, and chocolate crumble. To be honest, I was looking forward to this dessert the most. I had been following the Williams Family Baking Co. on Instagram for some time now and have been dying to try their drool worthy desserts. They specialize in catering and wholesale, but you can find them at the Kendall Square Farmer’s Market on Thursdays. I have a love hate relationship with whoopies. I love them, but more often than not they are dry or heavy – just not quite right. These on the other hand were so light and the filling actually tasted like raspberry. Really nice flavors and textures in this plate.

By Craig Williams of Williams Family Baking Co.

“Espresso Yo’ Self“: Luxardo Espresso, Meletii Cioccolato and Irish Cream. Can we just talk a minute here about the ice cube?!?! AMAZING.

I was so full that I couldn’t drink as much of this as I had wanted to. All the desserts were wonderful, light and just the right amount of sweet. Make sure to check these chefs out at their regular gigs!

For more information on Bakes for Breast Cancer, check out their website here.

A special shout out to Carol Sneider, President of Bakes for Breast Cancer, for hosting me at this event.

I was invited as a guest to attend the Sugar Rush 2017 event. My ticket for the event was provided complimentary. All opinions are my own.

Tags: charity, dessert, events, sugar rush