A fresh and creative pastry chef has arrived at 1789 Restaurant in Georgetown. For the past decade Mallory Staley has been in New York City studying, creating desserts for prominent restaurants and making a name for herself along the way. Now, Washingtonians can rejoice because Mallory’s desserts are delighting palates and making mouths water all over the D.C. region.
Growing up in Frederick, Maryland, Mallory is no stranger to the D.C. area. “It’s great being back home,” Mallory says, “but, since I was away for so long there’s a lot to get used to. I’m excited to get to know the city again and taste all the foods.”
Save Room for Dessert
When Mallory arrived at 1789 Restaurant, she noticed dessert sales were lagging, so she redesigned the dessert offerings. “The restaurant needed something smaller, a dessert that people could share,” Mallory recalls. “I introduced myself to diners with a warm cookie platter and spiced hot chocolate.” From the warm cookie platter, Mallory went on to create desserts that may tempt diners to lick their plates afterwards.
Mallory has a request for those who go out to eat….please, save room for dessert! “It’s very hard to be a pastry chef since so many people are cutting back on desserts,” she says. “People get so full after their main course that that they don’t save any room for dessert.”
This is precisely why Mallory is a big proponent of sharing. Her menu focuses on a variety of sweet desserts that couples and friends can enjoy together.
In addition to interviewing Mallory, I was delighted that she also created three of her decadent masterpieces for me to try.
1789 Chocolate Coin
Mallory credits her boyfriend with helping her create this “All-American” dessert. It looks like a candy bar, but once you take a bite, it’s like nothing you’ve tried before. The chocolate shell is filled with whiskey mousse, pecan praline and orange marmalade ganache. It’s served with milk chocolate ice cream and toasted pecans on top.
Sweet Wine Poached Pear
As a chocolate lover, I was surprised how much I loved this dessert. It was unique and combined a variety of fruits and flavors that complimented each other. The wine-poached pear is surrounded by sour cherries on top of vanilla bean sabayon and accented with two butter sticks.
S’mores Chocolate Donuts
This is a delightful, lighter take on donuts. There are two chocolate donuts made from scratch, dipped in chocolate glaze and chocolate sprinkles. The plate is covered in chocolate ganache and served with marshmallow filling and graham cracker sorbet.
Put on Your Apron
Mallory was kind enough to share some of her recipes for all of us to try at home. We’ve included them below.
If you’re going to try and create any of her recipes, Mallory suggests the chocolate donuts. “This dessert is really easy to make at home. It’s a great dessert to make with your children; they love donuts,” Mallory says.
Don’t have time to make desserts at home? Think again! “Get creative in the kitchen and see what local, fresh ingredients your supermarket has to offer,” Mallory says. “Buy a pre-made pie shell at the store, and make something new for your family by experimenting with the filling.”
Off to a fresh start
Growing up, Mallory spent a lot of time on her grandparent’s farm. She enjoyed picking potatoes, pulling strawberries off the vine and shucking corn. “I think that my time on the farm is the reason I have a passion for cooking,” Mallory recalls.
Mallory was working at a bed and breakfast in Maryland and jumped at the chance to replace the recently departed pastry chef. From there, she moved on to Manhattan and earned her certificate from The French Culinary Institute.
Before arriving at 1789 Restaurant, Mallory was the pastry chef at the Oak Room in the legendary Plaza Hotel. Mallory has been fortunate to be able to work for a number of top chefs. She worked at Hearth Restaurant under Chef Marco Canora and at Lever House Restaurant under Chef Dan Silverman.
Ingredients for Living Your Dream
Mallory’s career has been a sweet success. It’s not everyday that you find women who are able to make a living off what they love doing. “It’s been a bumpy ride,” Mallory states, “but you just have to keep pushing forward. Success won’t happen overnight, but if you have a lot of persistence you’ll be able to make it far in this world.”
Mallory looks forward to changing the dessert menu to take advantage of the seasons. “I’m excited that we’re approaching a really good berry season soon,” Mallory says. She plans to introduce the D.C. area to one of her favorite desserts, a sweet corn and blueberry sundae. “I received a lot of compliments on the flavors,” she says.
In her spare time, Mallory creates special occasion cakes and will be appearing on TV soon as a guest chef for Channel 10. She will continue to develop recipes and hopes to someday write a cookbook.
After trying three of Mallory’s delicious desserts, I’d like to share a recipe, too…
Recipe for a Great Night Out Dining
Make a reservation at 1789 Restaurant
Share a main course meal with your date
Save room for dessert, you’ll be glad you did!
1789 Restaurant
1226 36th Street, N.W.
202-965-1789
www.1789restaurant.com
Chocolate Doughnuts
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 yolk
1 cup sugar
¼ cup butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk
Combine both sets of ingredients in separate bowls, and then combine the two mixtures BY HAND. Roll dough out ( ½ inch thick) between sheets of sprayed parchment, refrigerate/freeze, then punch out doughnuts.
Once the doughnuts are punched out, put them in a fry-daddy or a frying pan with about 1-inch of oil.
Fry each doughnut for 45 seconds on each side. Do not overcook!
Next, dip one side of the doughnuts in a chocolate glaze (or other topping of your liking). You can also add chocolate sprinkles on top of the glaze.
Chocolate Glaze for Dipping
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
7 to 8 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Place the cocoa powder and powdered sugar in a bowl. Add the vanilla and slowly add the milk, whisking until smooth.
Poached Pear
Liquid to poach:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water
6 cups white wine
Zest of one orange
2 cinnamon sticks
5 pieces of star anise
8 pears, peeled, stems left on
Place the sugar in a large pot and all but a little water until it looks like wet sand. Place on high heat and cook until it turns a light golden brown (caramel stage). Add the remaining ingredients except for the pears. Be careful it will splash out of the pot! Bring back to a boil and turn down to low heat. Add the pears and place something on top to make sure they are completely covered by the liquid. (I use a plate). Allow to simmer in mixture for 2 ½ hours or until they are tender. Remove from the liquid and serve hot with the sabayon.
Vanilla Bean Sabayon
4 egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
1 vanilla bean
¼ cup white wine
½ cup cream, whipped
Whisk all ingredients except cream over a double broiler until foamy. Once mixture is slightly cooled, fold in whipped cream.
Poached Cherries (to place around the plate)
1 cup dried cherries
¼ cup orange juice
¾ cup water
1 tablespoon rum
Combine all in a pot and bring to a boil. Places cherries and their juice around plate.
Woman Around Town’s Six Questions
Favorite Place to Eat: Spanish tapas. Somewhere to share food.
Favorite Place to Shop: M street in George Town, there is such a great variety of shops.
Favorite D.C. Sight: The Spy Museum. It’s a lot fun. Haven’t gone to any others in a while.
Favorite D.C. Moment: Based on the month and half I have been back, my boyfriend, my mother, and myself walked around the Spy Museum and it was a blast!
What You Love About D.C.: The cherry blossoms! They are so beautiful when then come around.
What You Hate About D.C.: I hate the streets. I can’t understand them. Diagonals mess me up.
