Matthew Rice, pastry chef at Girl & the Goat, knows that customers like a mix of flavors, textures and temperatures in a plated dessert. At press time he shared his thoughts about a late-summer creation he was dreaming up to showcase luscious Michigan concord grapes and peanut butter in a fun and flavorful way.
“It will taste almost like a PB&J sandwich, a classic combination, but all the ingredients will be totally different,” says Rice. Here is how he envisions it early in the development process:
“Instead of jelly, we will do a concord grape granita. We are getting really nice concord grapes from Michigan that make a gorgeous purple puree when you cook them.
The peanut butter elements will come from a salted peanut semifreddo, which is like a lighter frozen mousse of peanut butter. We will also bake peanut butter-oatmeal cookies and crumble them up for a topping. There will be a salted peanut caramel drizzle, too.
The bread element will be a brioche doughnut that we will fry to-order and toss in vanilla sugar.”
No doubt the finished dessert will be in tune with chef and co-owner Stephanie Izard’s forward-thinking cuisine. “We try to make things that are unique,” says Rice. “There is a little savory twist, or just something unexpected, that makes you say ‘Oh, that’s interesting’ when you taste it.”
At a Glance
Region: American
Main ingredient: Concord grapes
Menu part: Dessert
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