Visions of Sugar Plums

Sampling A World Of Sweet Diversions

By Barbara Ramsay Orr    Photography Elaine Aquan-Yuen

• CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Shortbread biscotti at Bernardino’s Gourmet Foods, Burlington; almond meringues at Bernardino’s Gourmet Foods; chocolate discs by Maggie Lyon Chocolatiers at Homesense; sweet potato slices at T&T Supermarket, Hamilton; Reid Candy milk chocolate mint sandwich candy at Coco Tea Co., Dundas; white chocolate-coated Apricot Beach Pebbles at Denninger’s Fine Foods, various locations; chocolate snowflake at Walker’s Chocolates, Hamilton/Burlington; handmade gourmet chocolate truffle confections at Precious Things N More, Hamilton
• CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Enerbeans (Fair Trade coffee beans in rich dark chocolate, dusted with cocoa) at Ten Thousand Villages, Hamilton; cappuccino, dark chocolate, Irish Cream and dark pomegranate truffles at Walker’s Chocolates; handmade gourmet chocolate truffles (pumpkin, peanut butter, New York cheesecake) at Precious Things N More; chili, maple and peanut butter truffles at Forrat’s Chocolates, Hamilton; accessories throughout by Ten Thousand Villages
• CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Leone Orange Pastilles and Leone Fraises Gumdrops at Nardini Specialties, Stoney Creek; Hanukkah chocolate coins and dreidel at Westdale Delicatessen, Hamilton; Fujiya Milky candy in Peko-chan tin, at Doremi, Hamilton; Nobel Japanese Fukkoku Nostalgic Super Lemon Candy at T&T; Shuwa Puccho White Soda Gummy Stick at Doremi; sugar milk candy and Meiji Panda Choco Dip at T&T; toy bear at “The” Boutique, Hamilton; Edel marzipan orange at Denninger’s; Niederegger marzipan banana at Denninger’s; Blackpool rock candy, Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Biscuits and Tunnock’s Tea Cakes at King’s Cross, Dundas/Stoney Creek; window candy at “The” Boutique; Michel Cluizel Sardines en Chocolat au Lait at Picone’s Food Market, Dundas
• CLOCKWISE FROM LOWER LEFT Dipped mangoes at Forrat’s Chocolates; Wiley Wallaby Australian-Style Green Apple Gourmet Licorice at Dyment’s Farm Market, Dundas; Oreo Lolly at Forrat’s; candy cane and sticks at Bulk Barn; gingerbread boy chocolate at Walker’s Chocolates; Fair Trade Organic Coconut Curry Chocolate Bar by Theo Chocolate at Coco Tea Co., Dundas

For years, I’ve faithfully recited “The Night Before Christmas” aloud to my children, and I heard the poem many times as a child. Its lingering potency may have something to do with the fact that it opens with such sweet satiety – the children nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads. The Victorian confection is just one of the indulgences we associate with holiday celebrations. Wherever your sweet tooth leads you, these are the moments for luxury ingredients and the delight of exotic treats from far-flung destinations. Happily, the local area is festooned with shops brimming with holiday sweets.

A new arrival on Locke South, Forrat’s Chocolates (184 Locke St. S., Hamilton, 289.389.5700) is as compact as a box of candy, but the truffles are totally lovely. The staff have already discovered that “Locke Street loves its caramel,” one of its biggest-selling truffle flavours. This is one of five stores in a franchise started by Marc Forrat, a Brazilian-French chocolatier who trained in France and started producing fine chocolates in London, Ontario. The truffles are handmade every three or four days using European chocolate, are gluten-free and contain no preservatives. There are a broad range of flavours – chili dark chocolate is a big seller, as well as butterscotch, mint, French mocha, orange and amaretto, and for the purists, plain milk and dark chocolate. For Christmas there will be a white chocolate eggnog truffle, chocolate Santas and gift baskets, as well as chocolate by the pound for chocolate fondue. The truffles are $1.75 each or six for $10. (Storing truffles? Refrigerate them after purchasing. The ideal truffle is crisp on the outside but soft on the inside.)

In their little shop on Brant Street (Casteleyn Belgian Chocolatiers, 368 Brant St., Burlington, 905.631.8074), the Casteleyn brothers produce perhaps the best real hot chocolate you can buy outside of Spain. Mark Casteleyn trained in his native Belgium as a chocolatier, and brought his trade to Canada, using imported ingredients from Belgium in his recipes. When in the store you can see the chocolates being made through a round porthole window that lets you peek into the manufacturing area. They make a beautiful Yule Log filled with 20 assorted chocolates ($40 plus tax). Handmade truffles come in pretty boxes (10 truffles for $20 plus tax) and there are individually wrapped chocolate Santas. Almost anything from this shop would make a great hostess gift, and gift certificates are available for your favourite chocoholic.

It’s impossible not to buy something once you enter Weil’s of Westdale Bakery and Pastry Shoppe (981 King St. W., Hamilton, 905.527.6751). The scents are intoxicating. Fresh breads, cakes, cookies – the air is filled with their aromas. Weil’s is a gold mine for holiday entertaining. They make Christmas fruitcakes and Christmas pudding with hard sauce, so the busy cook doesn’t have to worry about dessert for the holiday feast. They prepare Christmas cookie trays with several different kinds of traditional cookies, yule logs and gingerbread houses. For a seasonal treat, try their peppermint brownies or mincemeat tarts. They do holiday cupcakes and will special order chocolate shells that you can fill with custard or fruits. For an extra special eye- and palate-pleasing treat, order the fabulous Croquembouche with your choice of spun sugar or chocolate ganache.

Who doesn’t love cupcakes, and what hostess wouldn’t be thrilled to receive a box of the beautiful morsels from Cupcakes of Westdale Village (1050 King St. W., Hamilton, 905.308.8484)? They are baked daily in-house, and because they are made in small batches, you should order them at least 24 hours in advance to be sure that you get the flavours and colours you want. For holiday eating, there will be candy cane and white chocolate cupcakes, a snowball version with coconut icing, an eggnog cupcake with rum-flavoured icing and a gingerbread cupcake. It isn’t just the taste that makes these cupcakes special. They come with pretty swirls of icing and can be topped with edible Santa faces, snowmen, wreaths or Christmas trees, or with red and green sprinkles. There are red, silver and gold boxes with pretty ribbons to make this edible gift even more special.

The treats at Lakeview Pastry & Chocolates (361 Brant St., Burlington, 905.639.0166) come from the second generation of the Sheuermann family of bakers. They’re famous for their Empire cookies, sugar cookie sandwiches with raspberry jam between the layers, topped with an almond glaze and little pieces of candied cherry. But when Christmas rolls around the most important delight from their kitchens are the gingerbread houses. These range from small ($21.95) to custom great houses, complete with lights ($120). They also make gingerbread men, yule logs and handmade chocolates. For a treat, order one of their chocolate buttercream spongecakes with raspberry preserve between the layers.

What better time to sample something exotic and colourful than during the holidays? Surprise your friends with the seductive tastes of the east. Sall Sweet & Curry (216 Barton St., Stoney Creek, 905.662.7822) makes traditional Indian sweets, remarkable for their visual appeal – pink, green, shimmery yellow, sometimes topped with edible silver or gold leaf. Jalebis, a popular sweet in India and Pakistan for over 700 years, are made from a batter that’s deep-fried, then soaked in syrup. They are usually a bright orange or yellow, and can be served warm or cold. It has a somewhat chewy texture with a crystallized sugar coating. Burfi is made from condensed milk, cooked with sugar until it solidifies. The name is derived from the Hindi word “baraf,” meaning “snow” – the dessert looks a bit like snow or ice. Burfi is often flavoured with cashew, mango, pistachio and spices and is sometimes served coated with a thin layer of edible silver leaf. Try Laddoo, a sweet prepared for important festivals, and first mentioned in a 12th century Gujarati manuscript. Indian sweets are often perfumed with spices like cardamom, saffron and ginger – and they’re definitely a welcome change from fruitcake