Becky Selengut Kate Baldwin Christy Nordstrom

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On November 5, 1992, Seattle Mayor Norm Rice prevented a riot. Addressing the crowd gathered at the Bon Marché (now Macy’s), Rice proclaimed it “Frango Day,” thereby quelling fears that our city’s most famous truffle would perish after the city’s 74-year-old Frederick & Nelson department store closed its doors earlier that year.

Veil Restaurant pastry chef Dana Cree was just a wee thing at the time, but she remembers being impressed when her mom decided to make Frango truffles at home. Cree helped roll the chocolates and tossed them in cocoa for her mom to box up. “[It] must have been a pretty simple recipe, but the revelation that those pretty wrapped candies were something that could be made blew me away,” Cree recalls.

It was not only her mom who got Cree involved in candy making. Her paternal grandmother was a home economics teacher and an early mentor who helped guide her through her initial attempts. “I didn’t have a candy thermometer, so she walked me through the method of dropping bits of the sugar into ice water to check its stage: thread, softball, hard crack,” Cree says.

Professionally, Cree got her start as an apprentice at Seattle’s Lampreia and held positions at Eva and The Rainier Club, in addition to stints at Great Britain’s the Fat Duck and New York’s WD-50, before landing at Veil earlier this year. A meticulous mind and a dead-on palate help Cree formulate her desserts. Nostalgia runs through her creations, which recently included roasted-banana Bavarian with cashew cracker-jack. Notes of whimsy punctuate her repertoire, but for Cree, pastry is serious business; perfection is her goal, day in and day out.

As is the case for many chefs, finding time at home to make treats is a rare luxury, but when Cree is able to make candy for loved ones, she likes to focus on three things: flavor, beauty and simplicity. “When I give gifts, I want to elicit a big wow from the recipients, from the time they see it to the first bite,” she says. “I want them to enjoy the candy not just because someone made it for them, but because it is so delicious they can’t keep their hands off it—a tall order, I know,” Cree says, playfully rolling her eyes.

While not every pastry chef is a proficient candy maker, most incorporate some of the same skills in their sweet offerings. Across town at Earth & Ocean, desserts from the kitchen of pastry sous-chef Erica Bleckwehl McEliece often include candy elements, such as an edible sorbet bowl reminiscent of a piece of Chihuly glass art.

Like Cree’s, her love of candy has its roots in childhood. “Every year during the holidays, we would have a box of See’s Candies in the house, and each family member had their favorite,” McEliece says. Hers was the walnut caramel. Her sweet tooth eventually led her to pastry school and, three years ago, to Earth & Ocean, where she worked with Sue McCown as lead pastry cook. When McCown left the restaurant to launch her own venture in 2006, McEliece took over Earth & Ocean’s pastry department.

Typically grounded in seasonal offerings, McEliece’s desserts convey a feeling of warmth and comfort. Recently on the menu was sticky pear pudding with hazelnut ice cream, as well as maple syrup and butternut squash tart with ginger marshmallow and brown-sugar caramel. Often diners finish with house-made truffles and chocolates.

When she’s not creating artfully presented desserts at Earth & Ocean, McEliece likes to make candy at home. Every year she rolls truffles as gifts for her friends and family. “It’s a more personal connection with the holidays for me than going to the mall and fighting the crowds,” McEliece says. Inspiration comes in the form of memory-evoking flavors. “When I’m making holiday candies, I think about flavors and combinations that will remind people of home, comfort and good times,” McEliece says. “Peppermint, orange and cranberry are associated with Christmas and the holiday season, but I also like to use warm spices like cinnamon, clove and nutmeg—which remind people of pumpkin pie and baked apples.”

If you’re motivated to avoid holiday crowds yourself, try some of the recipes below. And if you find yourself eating them before they make it into the gift box, you can always find some Frango truffles to bail you out at the last minute.

Pâté de fruits
Cranberry Pistachio Nougat
Chocolate Caramel Truffles
Chocolate Cherry Cordials

Getting Started

The first stop for any aspiring candy maker should be Maple Leaf’s Home Cake Decorating Supply Co. (9514 Roosevelt Way N.E., 206-522-4300). Navigating through the packed aisles requires a little bit of faith (you really will find what you are looking for!) and a helpful guide—in the form of friendly and knowledgeable owner Griel Mooney.

Family owned since 1960, Home Cake Decorating Supply is the place professional and home bakers go when inspiration hits. Here, you’ll find everything you need to make and package little treats and candies, including rows of sparkling colored sugars that make pretty shelfmates with icing tips in every size. You’ll also discover more tart pans and molds than you’ve ever seen.

The pros recommend the following items for your “candy-making 101” tool kit, many of which you can find at good grocery stores: candy thermometer, scale, heavy-bottomed stainless or copper pot, wooden spoon or heat-resistant spatula, pastry brush (for washing down the side of the pot when cooking sugar) and wax paper or parchment.

Here are a few other places (with helpful staffs) to shop for candy-making and/or packaging supplies:

City Kitchens, 1527 Fourth Ave., (206) 382-1138

Sur la Table, Seattle and Kirkland locations, surlatable.com

Mrs. Cooks, 2685 N.E. Village Lane, (206) 525-5008, mrscooks.com

Michaels, multiple Puget Sound locations, michaels.com

Packaging Specialties, Seattle and Redmond locations, ps-stores.com

Earth and Ocean, W Hotel, 1112 Fourth Ave., (206) 264-6060, earthocean.net

Veil Restaurant & Lounge, 555 Aloha St., Ste. 100, (206) 216-0600, veilrestaurant.com



Chef Becky Selengut is the founder of  SeasonalCornucopia.com, an educational Web site that celebrates Northwest foods.