I went upstate recently for a quick overnight trip with my friend Alexis. We had decided to venture up to the Berkshires and check out MASS MoCA and stay in Kingston for the night. I offered up a suggestion of eating at Stissing House in Pine Plains. Alexis confirmed it would be the ideal destination for a gorgeous meal away from the city.
Everything about Stissing House feels mindfully curated. The fire places (yes, multiple) never seem to fade with crackling pieces of wood stacked neatly to be consumed by the embers. When you walk to your table theres a station set-up for bread and butter service. The butter is sculpted into an organic mound and slowly whacked at periodically throughout the night.
Upon being seated, Alexis and I remarked at how beautifully quaint the dining room is. Low ceilings, mostly candlelit and heavier linen cloths underlining the pristine butcher paper topped tables. The gracious waitstaff came over as if from another time period welcoming in a weary traveler needing nourishment from the harsh conditions. Our souls were nourished that night.
Upon rounding out our experience with a style of eating I can only summarize as “going for it,” the dessert menus hit the table. Alexis and I have a mutual friend and colleague, Eli, who suggested ordering the coconut cake. I knew the lore around this specific cake and met the pastry chef that made it famous. Her name is Suzanne Nelson, a Chez Panisse alumni who blurs the lines between artist and chef.
Alexis isn’t the biggest fan of coconut cake, but consider us influenced. The cake arrived barely holding it’s own weight with luscious cream atop nearly collapsing. It’s quite the slice. We each took a stab into the crumb, cognizant of the ratio of cream to cake. The first bite triggered a full cerebral meltdown. How can I make something like this? What does it take? Is there coconut extract? How could there be? So, with the help of my co-worker and ex-Stissing House employee, I asked three questions to help deduce the cake.
What fat is in the cake?
What coconut product is used?
What are the liquid ingredients?
Here’s the result:
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