By Ann Volkwein
Photographs by Abigail Fenton

If you finish your meal at Egremont’s Hilltown restaurant with the cornbread tiramisu, tantalizingly layered with maple zabaglione and bourbon espresso, you’ll be spooning up a carefully considered amalgamation of cultures. Much like how chef/proprietor Rafi Bildner alchemizes the Berkshire bounty with the rich traditions of his beloved southern Italy, pastry and pasta chef Erica Gia Allen infuses her desserts with a sense of place and a deeply personal history.

“I’m from Selma, Alabama, which is not known for food in the way that a lot of places are,” says Allen. “It’s no Charleston, definitely not as cool as New Orleans, but the food there is very storied.” Hilda Mae Lowery, Allen’s maternal grandmother, formed her first food memories. Lowery’s style was Greek-Southern, having spent 10 years in Athens while her husband was stationed there to train pilots in the Air Force. It was there that the couple adopted Allen’s mother and brought her home to the U.S. in the ’60s. “That was what they brought back from Greece,” jokes Allen. “I have tried to find my mother’s Greek family, but I’ve been unsuccessful. My dad’s family originated from Calabria, and I just recently learned that there’s a large Greek population there. I really have that connection on both sides of the Ionian Sea.”

Back in Selma, Allen says, “I believe my grandmother wanted my mom to experience a little bit of Greek culture, so her table was mostly Southern, but with Greek things. She would fry zucchini like you would okra with a cornmeal breading or add mint to lamb meatballs and serve them with cornbread. And then there was a restaurant in my hometown that was a southern BBQ joint owned by a Greek family, and we would go there once a week for pulled pork and baklava.”

After college, Allen fell into positions assisting top level executives in hospitality and sports and working as a host at restaurants at night. “I’m a really a sick restaurant person,” she says. “I’ve worked in restaurants since I was 14.” She was assistant to the commissioner of Major League Soccer when she met her now husband, Will Messmer. “He had never worked in food, but his grandfather was a butcher and he wanted to do that. It was in his bones. Within two years of meeting each other we got married and then opened Darke Pines in 2018. It’s like our child.” Their nose-to-tail, sustainable butcher shop is in Jersey City and serves up responsibly raised meats that are sourced locally from small farms.

Creamy desserts get a grating of orange zest before being served.

“My husband was like, ‘we’re selling so much, so many cuts of beef, that we have all this trim that we need to start turning into product. Would you want to make sandwiches?’ And I said, ‘I can tell you every sandwich order for every person I’ve ever worked for.’ I knew what people liked.”

Her first offerings were house-smoked ham and pimiento cheese with a pickle on Balthazar bread. “It’s like cheese and pickle or what your mom might put in your lunch box.” And it exploded from there. Now their team bakes the bread and makes their pickles. Sweets came later. After a ton of development, Allen nailed her (still secret) recipe for rice crispy treats. They’ve become an iconic item at the shop, sold in big blocks, ready to share. “Kids will hold them and it’s like, you can’t see their face. I love that.”

Soon she was hosting monthly ninecourse tasting dinners at the butcher block, an idea her husband had, as a way to showcase cuts of meat that may not be familiar to clients. “My first dinner was ham hock and beans with fried collards, and a salad. I became obsessive over these dinners. And then I thought, but we need a palate cleanser before the dessert, because they’ve had all this fatty meat. So, I deep dived on sorbet. Four years ago, I made a chocolate cream pie, and I said to my husband, ‘I think I want to be a pastry chef.’”

In the summer of 2023, while renting in Hudson and contemplating opening something in the area, Allen heard about a pizza pop-up in Egremont. It was Hilltown, set up in the yard, pre-renovation of the current restaurant. Allen and Messmer loved the pizza—and the peach sorbet with blueberries and maple panna. “I said to Will, ‘you think they’d let me come work for them? ‘Cause I feel like this is so cool!’ I sent Rafi a note on Instagram and he said, ‘Would love to have you.’” Allen made pies three days a week for six weeks that summer.

Back in Jersey City, she was determined to get back into restaurants. She cold emailed her favorite place in New York for a job, French/Italian focused King Restaurant in Manhattan. “They were like, ‘when can you come in to trail?’ I thought I was going to have some kind of panic attack. I somehow gathered the courage. I loved it. And that’s where I learned to make pasta.”

When Hilltown was ready to open, Bildner welcomed her back into the fold, and she and Messmer rented a house in Copake with a nice backyard (a revelation for their two dogs, Lulu and Ellie). Messmer splits his time between Copake and Darke Pines, where he is a self-taught butcher and bread baker.

Now, back to that Hilltown tiramisu. Allen lets us in on how she developed it: “I discovered this Greek recipe for coffee syrup, which is coffee, honey, and sugar reduced, sort of how you might make a balsamic glaze. This was suggested to pair with a walnut cake, but I thought, what if I replace the honey with maple? And a splash of bourbon, of course. The result was delicious. That layered with the zabaglione is really Hilltown. It’s got the subtle nod to Greece—plus the cornbread. It feels like a culmination of every part of me in some way.”

hilltownhotpies.com

The recipes

Almond Cream Whip-Up
Prep Time: 15 minutes • Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 21 minutes, plus time to chill the cream
Serves: 2 to 4
(can be doubled or tripled for a crowd)

Prepare to be amazed by how simple it is to pull this together, and again later by how many compliments you’ll receive when you serve it. Often called Greek whipped yogurt, there are many versions of this recipe, and mine was adapted from a dessert by Melia Marden, of The Smile in NYC. I’ve made this for breakfast (pairs well with granola or coffee cake), bridal showers, summer BBQ’s, birthdays, holiday parties, and weddings. It’s one of those desserts you can make look quite fancy in a hurry. It’s simply a combination of things I usually have in the kitchen: oranges, a jar of Italian cocktail cherries. (Please, just never those frightful looking bright red ones!) You will also need some plain pistachios, Greek yogurt (full-fat FAGE, baby!), and whipping cream.

I like to smooth the cream around in dessert cups, teacups, and cocktail glasses, but you could also casually set down a large bowl of almond cream directly in the middle of your table. Then, hand out some spoons and let them all dig in.

1 tablespoon pistachios, unsalted and shelled
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
2 cups (16 ounces) full-fat plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon almond extract
Zest from 1 orange (organic or well-scrubbed)
1 jar Amarena Italian cherries

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Toast the pistachios in the oven for about 6 minutes or until fragrant, chop, and set aside to cool.
3. In a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer), add the heavy whipping cream and confectioners’ sugar. Whip until soft peaks form.
4. Add the yogurt and almond extract. Mix again until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. You can stop here, cover, and refrigerate the cream up to 1 day in advance of serving.
5. To serve, divide the cream among dessert bowls and top with a little freshly grated orange zest, toasted pistachios, and 2 to 3 Amarena cherries. *To deliver a surprise, start with one spoonful of cream, then nestle a cherry into the bottom, and proceed to spoon in the remaining cream and add the toppings. This will ensure one cherry will be saved for the last bite, and everyone will be ever grateful.
   
   

Savory Cornmeal Biscotti
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 48 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 18 minutes
Makes: 18 to 22 biscotti

Crisp and savory, these biscotti blend sharp cheddar, toasted pecans, and a whisper of orange zest. A final sprinkle of cayenne sugar brings the perfect contrast of heat and crunch. Serve before a meal, with Amaro or espresso and olives.

3/4 cup (90 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (60g) fine cornmeal
6 tablespoons (50g) cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne
Zest of 1 small orange
2/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1 cup (100 g) grated sharp white cheddar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup demerara sugar
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 large egg, beaten (for egg wash)

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, rosemary, salt, pepper, baking powder, and cayenne. Add the orange zest, toasted pecans, and grated cheddar. Toss to distribute evenly.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with the olive oil, then stir into the dry mixture. Mix until the dough comes together, it will be sticky but moldable. Divide it into two 10-inch x 2-inch logs, about ¾-inch high. Brush the top and sides with egg wash.
4. In a small bowl, combine the demerara sugar and cayenne, sprinkle generously over the logs.
5. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until firm to the touch and golden at the edges. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
6. Slice each log on the slight diagonal into ½-inch-thick pieces. Arrange the biscotti cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake again, 8 to 10 minutes per side until crisp but not deeply browned.
7. Cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week
   
   

Chocolate Pie with Salted Olive Oil Whip
Makes: (1) 9-inch pie
Prep Time: about 1 hour plus 2ó hours refrigeration
Cook Time: 26 minutes
Total Time: about 4 hours

Y’all, this pie couldn’t be any easier to make. My favorite thing about it? The salty olive oil whipped topping. It’s got just enough salt, fat, and sweetness to balance out the double chocolate cream pie filling. You’re going to want to eat the topping by the spoonful, drag your strawberries through it, and serve it as a fruit dip. And we are absolutely going to want it on top of our Thanksgiving sweet potato pies.

Cook’s Notes: You can use a store-bought graham cracker crust. Just pop it into the oven to toast beforehand (325°F for 12 to 15 minutes). Or use a classic frozen crust (prebake according to the package). Just be sure to use a 9-inch pan. And the real secret to this cream pie filling is to not walk away while the custard is cooking. You must whisk the whole time (11 minutes total to be exact!). This is what keeps the filling smooth and prevents it from forming any lumps.

FOR THE CRUST:
14 graham crackers
¼ cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons salted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING:
3/4 cup (4 ounces) 63% dark chocolate chips
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder
1/3 cup cornstarch
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
8 large egg yolks (measures a scant ó cup)
3 cups whole milk

FOR THE TOPPING:
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup granulated sugar
8 ounces (1 cup) mascarpone
1 tablespoon extra-virgin (Greek!) olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers with the sugar until finely ground (but not powdery). Add the melted butter and pulse until you’ve got moist crumbs, like wet Sand.
3. Transfer the crumbs to a 9-inch pie plate and press them into the bottom and two-thirds up the side. Place the pie crust in the freezer for 20 minutes.
4. Bake until the crust starts to lightly brown around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
5. Make the filling: Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl, add vanilla, and suspend a large, single-mesh sieve over the top.
6. In a 3-quart stainless steel stockpot, whisk the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt together. Add all of the egg yolks and roughly ó cup of the milk and whisk until smooth, then add the remaining 2ó cups of milk. Cook over medium-low, stirring gently with a whisk until hot to the touch, about 6 minutes. Set a timer, if you want to keep up with what’s happening. Increase the heat to medium and continue whisking gently until thick and bubbly, about 5 minutes (if it’s not bubbling by then, crank up the heat). When you see that first bubble, set a timer and continue whisking exactly 90 seconds. Turn off the burner. Do not let the pot sit on the hot burner, as the bottom may Scorch!
7. Immediately pour the filling into the sieve, pressing with a flexible spatula until all of it passes through. It will be slightly thick. Whisk the filling with chopped chocolate and vanilla until it has completely melted into the filling. Pour the filling into your cooled pie shell, and smooth it out with an offset spatula or the back of a serving spoon. Press plastic wrap (you want to prevent a skin from forming) over the entire surface of the pie filling and chill until cold, at least 2 hours (can be done the day before).
8. Make the topping: Using an electric mixer, whisk the cream and sugar on medium-high speed until soft peaks. Separately, whisk the mascarpone to loosen it, then add the olive oil slowly, and combine it with a hand whisk. Once the cream has reached soft peaks, add the mascarpone and the salt to your mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until it’s stiff and well combined. Place the cream mixture into the fridge to chill until your pie completely cools down.
9. Once chilled, assemble your pie: remove the plastic wrap, dollop the cream on top, and spread it with an offset spatula or a butter knife. Let the pie sit in the fridge for 30 minutes (up to 8 hours) before cutting. (If serving the pie outside on a hot day, place in the freezer for an hour before you slice and serve.) Grab a sharp, straightedge knife and dip it in a cup of boiling water before cutting each slice. Wipe the knife with a dry cloth between cutting each piece to ensure a nice cut.
   
   

Genovese Ragu
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours, 25 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours, 40 minutes
Serves: 4

La Genovese is possibly the most famous Neapolitan pasta sauce. It’s definitely in my top three favorite pasta sauces. Unlike most traditional Italian-American, red-tomato-based pasta sauces, “la Genovese” doesn’t rely on tomatoes, but on onions and time. The very simple rule of thumb is to double the weight of your ground beef with onion. Beyond that, you don’t need to do anything other than throw it all into a pot and wait. If I want to make it extra luxurious and taste just like my Great-Aunt Mary’s, I’ll use pure lard from Darke Pines instead of olive oil.

3 tablespoons olive oil 
2 pounds yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound ground beef
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
4 cups beef stock, unsalted
2 cups white wine, preferably dry
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ziti, cooked according to package directions
Freshly grated Grana Padano, for garnish

1. In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once it’s warmed up and covering the
   bottom of the pot, add the onion, carrot, celery, and oregano. Cook, stirring occasionally with a
   wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to soften, about 8 minutes. 
2. Add the ground beef and 1 teaspoon of salt. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook,
   stirring constantly and using your spoon to break up the meat, until browned, another 8 minutes.
3. Add the beef stock, wine, and an additional teaspoon of salt. Stir and simmer another 5
   minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to the lowest simmer, cover the pot, and cook, stirring every 45 minutes or so,
   until the meat is tender and the onion melts into a creamy sauce, 3 to 4 hours, or as long as you
   can stand it.
5. Season to taste with black pepper, serve over pasta, and top with plenty of freshly grated
   Grana Padano.