As of late, Executive Pastry Chef Brian Mercury of Harvest Restaurant has been earning quite a few sweet awards for his delectable desserts. For starters, the pastry chef was recently named winner of Food & Wine’s “The People’s Best Pastry Chef” competition for the East. And now it seems that his signature dessert,“Taza Chocolate Cremeux,” has earned it’s own well-deserved honor.
The dessert trifecta of chocolate, caramel and salt was honored by Food & Wine as one of “America’s Best Salty-Sweet Desserts” of 2013. Locally sourced, the dessert is made from Taza chocolate in Somerville as well as sea salt taken from nearby beach water.
Here, Mercury shares with BostInno his inspiration behind the famous dessert as well as thoughts on his own holiday baking traditions.
Why did you decide to become a pastry chef?
I decided to become a Pastry Chef on the suggestion of my father. I was not a very focused academic student and was always busy with something else. My dad thought it would be a perfect match for my hands on approach to life. We traveled to various schools and when I visited the C.I.A. (Culinary Institute of America) I fell in love with what was happening there, especially the Baking & Pastry School.
I always loved sweets as a kid so when I entered that area of the school the smells were intoxicating – cakes baking, bread fresh from the oven, chocolate – I knew that I had found where I wanted to be!
What served as your inspiration for your Taza Chocolate Cremeux dessert?
I decided to make my own salt for desserts – and what pairs better than chocolate, caramel, & salt (homemade at that!). I made a dessert similar for an event and everyone loved it – in many ways it was a bite size version of the Cremeux. One woman came up for her third and asked if I had it on the menu, I said “No I don’t, its something special I made for the event”, and she quickly replied that I should – so I did!
I started refining it to really showcase the salt I was making and of course, Taza Chocolate.
What one ingredient could you not live without?
They’re all so important! I would say the most important ingredient for me is freedom – the freedom to be creative and inspired by ingredients and ideas. Without that it would be difficult to do what I do.
What is your favorite food to bake during the holidays and why?
Sugar Cookies. My family has been using the same recipe for 50 years and it’s just the best part of the holidays for me. They’re thin, crisp, and buttery cookies cut in various holiday shapes and topped with a rainbow of sprinkles. As a kid we loved eating the raw dough, decorating them anyway we wanted, and eating them as soon as my grandma would let us. I now have a daughter and I am eagerly waiting to start the tradition with her as soon as she’s old enough to eat cookies, and give myself an excuse to eat a ton of them.
How would you describe your baking style?
I guess I would say my style is contemporary. I just try to make food that interests me as well as the customers. I want to keep myself interested as well as try new techniques and ingredients. But it also needs to be tempered with the clientele you are serving. You need to keep your customers happy. If they don’t buy it your job won’t last long.
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