Beyond the Fluffernutter: Try These Fluff Menu Specials This Weekend

What the Fluff photo by Steve McFarland on Flickr

Forget the Great Molasses Flood. This weekend, the streets of Somerville will run sticky with marshmallow goo.

For its 10th year, Union Square’s annual “What the Fluff?” festival—held on the very spot where confectioner Archibald Query first concocted the sweet stuff in 1917—will take over the neighborhood with Fluff jousts, Fluff coiffure, and, naturally, burlesque performances by “the Flufferettes.”

Outside of the fest, if you’ve ever had a brush with Fluff, it’s most likely been as the sugary spackle holding together a Fluffernutter. But—as the “What the Fluff?” cooking competition should demonstrate—there are far more culinary uses for this venerable goop.

Even the pros are getting in on the action. Many Union Square businesses are taking up the Fluff rallying cry.  Brass Union and the Independent—both located at Ground Zero for this weekend’s Fluffageddon—will be serving up their own Fluff menu specials.

Fluff Ball and Fluff-Ferneter Cocktails at Brass Union / Courtesy Photo

Brass Union

Over at Brass Union, sink your (hopefully well-enameled) teeth into executive chef Jonathan Kopacz’s sweet potato pie tartlets ($6) with whipped Fluff and house-smoked bacon, as well as a trio of mini-cheesecake Fluffy Cake Pops ($6). For a slightly more adult take on the sweet stuff, beverage director Paulo Pereira will bestow upon us the Fluff-Ferneter ($10), a cocktail that combines Fernet, marshmallow-spiked vodka, and Irish cream topped with coconut foam; and the Fluff Ball ($7), a shot of Fireball whiskey and marshmallow vodka adorned with a house-made Fireball marshmallow.

Fluffin’ Tart and Sweet Potato Fries at the Independent / Courtesy Photo

The Independent

Not to be outdone, The Independent, meanwhile, has three Fluff-inspired specials of its own. Bar manager Pat Foley has whipped up the Piña Fluffada ($11), which combines Fluff with rum, pineapple juice, and crème de coconut. On the savory tip, opt for the Fluff fries ($8): sweet potato fries topped with candied bacon and drizzled with Fluff. Still not sated? For dessert, there’s a Fluffin’ Tart ($8), a pastry filled with Granny Smith apples, caramel, and Fluff.

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Bronwyn

One of our favorite German restaurants is leaping into the Fluff fray, too, with a Fluff menu of their own. On Saturday, they’re serving up such items as a Haus Bretzel Stick ($5) with Fluff dipping sauce; the Fluff ‘n’ Speck ($8), a smoked-pork-loin-and-Fluff sandwich on challah bread; and Fluff-laden Šišky ($6), a type of Slovakian doughnut. To quench your Fluff thirst, there’s the “O ’Fluff It!” cocktail ($10), made with Fluff-infused Jelinek Fernet and Warsteiner Dunkel beer.

Fluff specials served September 26 (rain date of Sunday, September 27) at Brass Union, 70 Union Sq., Somerville, 617-623-9211, brassunion.com; The Independent, 75 Union Sq., Somerville, 617-440-6022, theindo.com; Bronwyn, 255 Washington St, Somerville, 617-776-9900, bronwynrestaurant.com.