Catching the Wave of Flavored Tequilas

Demerara craquelin, whipped vanilla bean cheesecake mousse, bittersweet chocolate ganache and candied orange peel gems

Photo Credit: Nashville Guru

Big Fat Cream Puff

Ophelia’s Pizza + Bar | Nashville, Tenn.

Emily Wilson

How do you top off a meal of signature pizzas and classic Italian entrées? At Ophelia’s Pizza + Bar, guests are tempted by one-of-a-kind dessert experiences, including the Big Fat Cream Puff. “It’s one of our top sellers,” says Emily Wilson, director of pastry operations at 5th Street Group, which owns Ophelia’s. “It’s rich but not overly sweet, so guests are able to enjoy it even at the end of a big meal.”

This elevated take on the classic dessert is a pâte à choux pastry topped with a crunchy Demerara craquelin and then cut in half and filled with a whipped vanilla bean cheesecake mousse. Tableside, it is drizzled with a warm bittersweet chocolate ganache, dusted with powdered sugar and finished with candied orange peel gems. “I think the tableside presentation is what makes the dessert a success,” says Wilson. “Pouring the ganache with the steam coming off the warm chocolate as it hits the cold mousse really takes the dish to the next level. Together, the grand dusting of the powdered sugar and sprinkle of candied orange give the dessert a whimsical final touch.”

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