Sharon Nasrallah / Tampa, FL

European Inspired

The fusion of sweet-tart flavors that characterize European desserts is Chef Sharon Nasrallah’s specialty. Sharon — or “Chef Naz” as she’s known — is the executive pastry chef at Ponte Modern American in Tampa, Florida. She’s an industry veteran with 40 years’ experience making European-inspired desserts everywhere from large hotels and small scratch bakeries to the classrooms of Le Cordon Bleu, where her enthusiasm for her craft won her the students’ choice award seven years in a row.

Ponte Modern American serves contemporary French and Italian-influenced American cuisine in a luxury experiential dining atmosphere. Among its highlights are Champagne and caviar, extensive Wagyu beef selections and, because it’s Florida, lots of seafood. Chef Sharon’s desserts are equally indulgent. The Half Tart au Chocolate and Half El Corazon Curd Tart with Coconut Snow and White Chocolate Toasted Coconut Bark is typical of her fresh, creative flavor pairings with tropical undertones. It’s also in the spirit of World Coconut Day on June 26. A similar flavor combination appears in her Bavarian Tart with Coconut Cream and Corazon Bavarian under a Sugar Cage.

The Perfect Purée El Corazon — a signature mélange of passion fruit, blood orange and pomegranate — is Sharon’s favorite for its versatility. She uses it in sorbets, pate de fruit, tarts and buttercream and even swirls it into meringue before baking. “The flavor profile is so unique and refreshing. It can be tart or sweet, depending on how you use it,” she says. “El Corazon also lends itself to a wide variety of other flavors and textures. I love it with white chocolate, coconut and pistachio.”

Sharon’s pastime of researching new recipes led her to The Perfect Purée’s complimentary sample offer in 2016. Since then along with El Corazon she’s used Strawberry, Meyer Lemon and Green Apple. She’ll resort to other brands when she can’t find something obscure like sudachi or calamansi but always checks The Perfect Purée first. “I prefer The Perfect Purée for its bright, true burst of flavor,” she says.

Tricks of the Pastry Trade

Sharon advises fellow pastry chefs to get creative with curds.

“As a dessert medium, I’d have to say my favorite is curds. There are just so many ways you can use them —in cakes, tarts, napoleons, pavlovas. I could go on and on,” she says.

She adds a layer of flavor and texture to mild desserts with purée “crisp.” Using a stick blender, she mixes purée, egg white, powdered sugar and food-grade metholcel A4C (a thickener) until it’s smooth. She spreads the mixture on acetate and places it in a dehydrator for 24 hours. It comes out like a brittle that she breaks into pieces for garnish. “This bright ‘crisp’ can be a component to a mild dessert such as a white chocolate panna cotta,” Sharon says.

Similarly, she makes White Chocolate Toasted Coconut Bark as a garnish for the El Corazon curd tart and other desserts. It’s so easy she doesn’t even have a recipe. “It’s just tempered white chocolate, feuilletine and toasted coconut. Let it cool and break it up,” she says.

Star Instructor

Before Ponte Modern American, Sharon was the pastry chef at Dux and Capriccios in the former Peabody Hotel in Orlando. She has tested recipes for articles in Bon Appetit and owned a business specializing in European desserts for restaurants and caterers. She’s also worked as a private chef in New York City, Tampa and Orlando.

With so much experience to share, Sharon became the owner/instructor for Chefs in Training,  designing and teaching hands-on cooking and baking classes for individuals and groups of all sizes. She then worked for seven year as a pastry and baking instructor at Le Cordon Bleu, teaching more than 800 students. Six of those years she was named teacher of the year and all seven years, she was awarded the students choice award.