Lucky Us!

Salivating over the glass case filled with treats at Clover Desserts, you can’t help but ask—how did baker Courtney Staiano do that? The texture of matte velvet? The charming petit gateaux in seasonal flavors? The answers to those questions are “composed desserts”: a skill Staiano picked up at Johnson & Wales and has practiced until it’s second nature. What that means is making different flavors of mousse and freezing them so that they can be cut and stacked atop a cake layer and given a smooth glaze. Unusual flavors abound: bergamot-lemon tart with Earl Grey meringue; matcha panna cotta; raspberry angel food cake. “I really like thinking up a concept, deciding on flavors and textures—the whole building process,” Staiano explains enthusiastically. After doing pop-ups and farmers markets since 2018 (with husband Michael Miller), Staiano opened a shop last winter with specialty takeout desserts—Turtle Tarts and Butterscotch Custards—and other customer favorites like Butter Pecan Krispies and Triple Chocolate Chip cookies (hand-chopped Valrhona chocolate). In warmer weather, there will be outdoor seating, and indoor seating is soon to come. Also find them down the road on Saturdays at the Farm Fresh RI farmers market on Sims Avenue in Providence.

52A Valley St., Providence. CloverDesserts.com. On social @cloverdesserts