Whenever we visit Mystic, Connecticut, we always try to stop at Sift Bake Shop (5 Water Street, 860-245-0541, siftbakeshopmystic.com) for cookies, breads, and pastries. Pastry chef and owner Adam Young was anointed Best Baker in America by the Food Network show of the same name, and while we haven’t tried the goods of all the other bakers in America, we’d have to say his food is right up there. So imagine our delight to find that he was headlining a dinner at Harvest restaurant’s The Book and The Cook series. Harvest (44 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA; 617-868-2255; harvestcambridge.com) is just a few blocks from our home in Cambridge. We could walk to and from dinner and not worry about overindulging on the masterful wine pairings by Jason Percival.

Young’s baking has a definite French accent, and it was interesting to see how he could merge the sheer precision of his baking with the French-inspired cuisine of executive chef Nick Deutmeyer at Harvest for a delicious and elegant meal. (Harvest pastry chef Tab Volpe certainly earned his stripes as well.)

Young attributes much of his approach to cooking to growing up on a Vermont dairy farm where people made or grew everything rather than buying it. ‶I grew up with a sense of the sacrifices people made, but we lived sustainably. It gave me a feeling of responsibility in sourcing and treating ingredients with respect.″ At the bakery, he and his staff make everything from scratch, right down to the paper-thin dough for mille-feuille pastry.

‶Pastry is my craft,″ Young says. ‶Savory is more therapeutic. It doesn’t require quite as controlled an atmosphere.″

Pastry finesse meets savory punch

For the late October dinner, Young achieved a level of seasonality that we didn’t expect of someone who spends most of his time with breads and pastry. The opening cup of soup — a lobster cappuccino with delicate vanilla foam — was like a tribute to the end of the lobstering season when fishermen haul their boats. The pear salad that followed married sweet fall pears with autumnal bitter greens (mostly endive) and salty local blue cheese. Next up, butternut squash agnolotti filled with Narragansett Creamery ricotta on a sage-brown butter sauce with walnut pesto could have almost been a vegetarian’s Thanksgiving main dish. He finished up with roasted tenderloin with a trio of veggies: mushrooms in a mousseline, potatoes in a pavé (a fancy style of scalloped potatoes), and some rainbow chard. The beef dish was like an elevated form of dinner on a Vermont farm.

No surprise — dessert was a trio of tiny cakes for each diner. ‶Petits Gateaux,″ as the menu inadequately described the blueberry, vanilla, and chocolate morsels, was a triumph. A plate of stunning chocolates followed.

Cooking alongside Adam Young with his Sift cookbook

But for all the work and precision that those sweet endings demanded, Young says, ‶I just make muffins. They’re the achievable luxury.″ Exactly how achievable is shown below in the recipe he allowed us to print from his Sift cookbook (available at bakery, $55). The original recipe makes three and half dozen. We scaled it down to 10 muffins. It was an easy task because Young gives all his measurements in ounces or grams, encouraging readers to use grams. We’ve always preferred cooking by weight, since it’s easier to be consistent. A few notes on the recipe: A neutral oil like grapeseed or canola works best. The blueberries can be fresh or frozen. The egg is best measured by grams after thoroughly mixing up an egg, but if you have a medium egg on hand, it will be close enough to the right weight.

MUFFINS

We are constantly evolving and reinventing our products at the bakery, but our blueberry muffin is the exception. It has been a staple since day one and most locals (especially my mother-in-law) have made it part of their morning routine with a hot coffee. The creaming method creates a delicate, cake-like texture, with a rich flavor from dark brown sugar, blueberries, and crispy oat streusel.

Makes 10 (as adapted)

STREUSEL TOPPING

• 57g dark brown sugar
• 57g old-fashioned rolled oats
• 29g all-purpose flour
• 0.75g (pinch) salt
• 29g (2 tablespoons) butter, softened

Method: Combine all of the dry ingredients and meal in the butter (work in with your fingertips) to achieve a crumble texture. Set aside while mixing up batter.

BATTER

• 71g dark brown sugar
• 43g sugar
• 93g sour cream
• 43g oil
• 36g eggs (1 medium egg)
• 128g all-purpose flour
• 4g baking soda
• 2g salt
• 142g blueberries

Method

In a large stainless steel bowl, whisk together sugars, sour cream, and oil. Add eggs and combine thoroughly. Sift in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until half combined. Add the blueberries and gently fold until all ingredients are combined. Do not overmix. Portion into muffin tins, lined with muffin liners, and lightly cascade streusel over muffin batter. Bake at 350° F for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on size. (We found 25 minutes worked best.)