bake - May 2017 - 12

technical corner

Chocolate,
Cookies & Pie
One of America's most inﬂuential pastry chefs, Michelle Gayer
of Salty Tart Bakery in Minneapolis achieves excellence through
simplicity of ingredients and complexity of imagination. Her latest exercise in pushing creative boundaries involves her Power,
Corruption & Pie concept (which has its own Facebook page).
"Pie is the new hot and heavy thing," Gayer says. "We have
been doing pie pop-ups on the holidays for two to three years.
Chocolate chess pie and banana cream pie are our top sellers."
Gayer is learning that it's best to do pie pop-ups during the
busy holiday season (think fall and winter) to take advantage of
shopper cravings. "To be worth our while, we base the events
around the holidays. We use a lot of social media to promote."

"Pie is the
new hot
and heavy
thing."
Michelle Gayer,
owner of Salty Tart Bakery

Salty Tart Bakery, which Gayer founded nearly a decade ago,

ing these delicious cookies, Gayer shares that granulated sugar

continues to thrive in all sorts of different directions. They've

can be substituted for superﬁne sugar, but the latter produces

expanded their wholesale business to restaurant, coffee shops

a more supple meringue. Superﬁne sugar is designed to dis-

and even airports. "That's how you connect with your people,

solve almost instantly.

keeping it local," she says.
She starts with one cup egg whites (from about 7-8 eggs),
Gayer gained fame as the executive pastry chef for Charlie

two cups superﬁne sugar, ﬁve tablespoons sifted unsweet-

Trotter's and Trotter's To Go in Chicago, where she also part-

ened cocoa powder, and one cup chopped chocolate chips.

nered with Trotter to write, "Charlie Trotter's Desserts." In 2008,

For chocolate chips, Gayer uses any leftover chocolate pieces,

Gayer fulﬁlled her dream by opening her own bakery in south

in any combination of bittersweet, semi-sweet, unsweetened

Minneapolis in the Midtown Global Market.

and white chocolate. If using a convection oven, bake at 300
degrees for 15 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through

Salty Tart features Gayer's extraordinarily stylish to free-form

baking time.

rustic creations. Sweet to savory selections like creamy coconut
macaroons, golden rosemary corn cakes, pastry cream ﬁlled

In a double boiler over gently boiling water, combine egg

brioche and savory puff pastry all perfectly complement the

whites and sugar and simmer, whisking occasionally, until sugar

custom desserts and breads made fresh daily. Gayer features

is dissolved. Pour mixture into bowl of an electric mixer ﬁtted

the best in seasonal fruits, ﬂavors and baking creativity.

with a whisk attachment. Whip egg-white mixture on medium
speed for 5 minutes, and then increase to medium-high speed

The bakery's motto is "cooking with integrity," which Gayer ex-

for 5 to 10 minutes, until mixture is stiff but not dry.

plains to mean seasonal, local and organic ingredients are used
whenever possible. "And we make everything right here, in our

Using a rubber spatula, fold cocoa into egg-white mixture until

400 square-foot bakery from scratch," she adds.

well incorporated, and then fold in chocolate chips. Place heaping tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking sheets. Bake at

Minnesota Monthly magazine calls her chocolate chewy me-

350 F for 18 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through the

ringues the "best $1 dessert" in the state of Minnesota. In mak-

baking time.

12 < MAY 2017 | bakemag.com

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bake - May 2017

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