歡迎光臨高雄市新聞局

   Starting Autumn on a Sweet Note:  S'more Sugar Pastry

    ◎English translation: Peng Hsin-yi　

    ◎Photos by Pao Chung-hui

     How sweet is it to have a pastry shop of your own? Ask Ms. Nie Shujing, owner and pastry chef extraordinaire of the hip, new pastry shop, "S'more Sugar Pastry," and she'll tell you all about it. Located in Zuoying District's Riverbank Community, the place is named after a campfire sweet treat that features roasted marshmallow, a layer of chocolate, and graham cookies. It's extremely popular with American kids. The name "S'more" mimics the sound children make when their mouths are full yet they're still asking for "some more." Ms. Nie lived in the United States for 15 years, and trained in Cordon Bleu in San Francisco. She came back to her hometown to make her dream of opening a pastry shop come true. Her style reflects both her cultural experiences and her training. The shop produces about 20 different items daily, with a nice balance between American-style pies, French tarts and customized cakes. The shop started small but the name soon went viral with the help of loyal  customers and foodie bloggers. The shelves are usually empty by three or four in the afternoon.

     Ms. Nie says that while many people think of pastry production as a dreamy profession, the decilous pastries require a lot of hard work, so one needs a strong mind and great perseverance. Ms. Nie pays constant attention to what's happening in the pastry market, and she always tries to find innovative ways to use seasonal fruits. Her customers are always looking for new flavors, and their demands drive her never-ending quest to improve her skills.

     As summer gives way to fall, Ms. Nie recommends two popular seasonal pastries: The Chocolate Mont Blanc, and the classic home-style French Apple Pie. 

※ Chocolate Mont Blanc

     The Mont Blanc is a quintessential fall dessert which pays tribute to everyone's favorite snack in the autumn - chestnuts. Ms. Nie has added a twist by putting chocolate in the mix. Starting with a classic tart shell, she adds a milk chocolate base before piling on chocolate sponge cake, regular sponge cake and a whipped cream filling. The peak is created using generous amounts of mashed chestnuts, while frosted pipes create the curves and swirls which make the dessert resemble its namesake mountain. As a finishing touch, Ms. Nie gently dusts powdered sugar and coco powder over the tart before placing a candied chestnut at the very top. Chestnuts and milk chocolate complement each other in surprising ways. The flavors are rich but do not overpower one another; the subtle fragrance of the chestnuts enhances the tone of the chocolate.

※ French Apple Pie

     The French Apple Pie is baked with Ms. Nie's handmade pastry shell. Each rectangular pie is framed with almond slices, and filled with custard sauce which makes for a pudding-like texture after baking. The pie is then topped with fresh apple slices tossed in sugar and cinnamon powder. The end result is a joy to sink your teeth into –the pastry shell is buttery and flaky, the custard in the center is moist and creamy, the apple is cooked but not mushy. You can still detect the fruit's original crunchiness and its refreshing flavor. Ms. Nie says the apple pie can be served hot –just reheat it in an oven for four minutes and top it with a scope of ice cream.

     As for pairing beverages with her creations, Ms. Nie suggests unsweetened tea or sparkling water because many drinks contain sugar which diminish a dessert's flavor. It's best, therefore, to pair pastries and cakes with non-competing flavors so you can fully appreciate the taste of the dessert itself.

   秋．饞  甜點時光 

  S'more Sugar Pastry

    ◎文／侯雅婷

    ◎攝影／鮑忠暉

      位於左營河堤社區巷弄間的超高人氣甜點屋S'more Sugar Pastry ，店名引自於北美的小朋友參加露營，睡前會吃點烤綿花糖，總會多要點糖吃的口語 Some more，主廚聶淑菁旅居美國15年並於藍帶廚藝學校舊金山分校學藝歸國，返回家鄉高雄，一圓她的創業夢。甜品屋裡反映著聶淑菁跨文化背景，販售著美式風格派類、法式塔類甜品及客製化蛋糕。S'more Sugar Pastry靠著口耳相傳及網路部落客宣傳效應所賜，店裡每日提供20多種產品，平常日約莫下午3點至4點就會銷售一空。

      聶淑菁表示，看似夢幻的甜點背後是由許多辛苦與堅持堆砌著，只要有新鮮水果上市，就會想想怎麼運用於產品上，靠著求新求變，滿足客戶嚐鮮的味蕾，也激發自己製作甜點的熱情。

      秋季到來，聶淑菁推薦二款甜點，分別是運用當季食材栗子的蒙布朗巧克力塔及法國家庭式甜點—法式蘋果派。

※ 蒙布朗巧克力塔

      蒙布朗巧克力塔以牛奶巧克力為塔的底座，依序疊上一層巧克力蛋糕、海棉蛋糕及一小團奶油，接著把象徵白朗峰的栗子泥以環繞式擠成的圓錐狀，然後於栗子泥外圍撒下微量巧克力粉和白色糖粉，白色糖粉象徵白朗峰的皚皚白雪，頂端放上一顆糖漬栗子，結合栗子泥和牛奶巧克力變化出豐富的口感，且不甜膩 ，還可聞到淡淡的栗子飄香。

※ 法式蘋果派

      法式蘋果派以蘋果和肉桂為基底，手工　製千層酥皮，四周撒上些許杏仁片，中間鋪上一層烤過的卡士達，呈現布丁的口感，之後再鋪滿調過糖和肉桂粉的新鮮蘋果片，嚐起來外層千層派維持著派皮酥脆度，蘋果內餡嚐得到水果的爽脆度及清爽口感，再加上吸收了蘋果汁的卡士達呈現濕潤的布丁口感，聶淑菁說法式蘋果派也可熱熱的吃，置於烤箱烤4分鐘，再加上一球香草冰淇淋，是很棒的餐後甜點！

      聶淑菁表示，食用以上兩款甜點均可搭配無糖的茶或是氣泡水，避免含糖的飲品與食材本身糖分互相衝突，更能品嚐出甜點的味道。