Jennifer Coins of Miel Restaurant
Cannoli Ricotta Pistachio Tart? Yes please. That’s the type of creativity with which Jennifer Coins—pastry chef at Miel (honey in French)—approaches her desserts, a style that fits in perfectly with Miel, a restaurant known for its innovative cuisine and “local food” focused approach to dining.
“We don’t do artificial,” Coins says. “We make everything from scratch.” On the pastry side, that means eliminating any artificial dyes and extracts.” She even uses red wine in her Red Velvet Cake. “I just looked back at the history of red velvet cakes and how they used to be made.” The result, she says, is a red velvet cake with a little more of a burgundy color, but that tastes much better than the style with which most people are familiar.
Coins, a graduate of Johnson and Wales who’s been in the baking and pastry world for 12 years, loves to focus on seasonal ingredients. “Right now, we’re featuring apples, sweet potatoes, pomegranates.” She is also intentional about not overpowering her pastry dishes with sugar. I want you to get a little bit of sweetness without being overwhelmed, so I’ll use honey, sorghum and molasses. She even makes her own brown sugar.
You’ll want to check out the The “PASTRY CASE” at Miel this season. These are desserts “to go” perfect for parties. Most will serve up to 18 people depending on the cake or tart you order. Some standouts on her fall menu include: An Apple Galette Tart with Cornmeal Pecan Crust and Apple Cider Glaze, Fresh Fruit Tart with a Caramel Pastry Cream and Espresso Cake with ganache filling and mascarpone cheese buttercream, and Salted Caramel Macarons with Spiced Apple Butter.
You can pre-order all of the desserts out of Miel’s pastry case, customizable to the size of your gathering—all of which are fun, seasonal, sassy and glamorous.
