Yes, the gorgeous, glistening, sugar-dusted sweets we know as pâte de fruit are technically candy, but they’re more like candied spoonfuls of gooey fruit jam. And maker Casey Hickey’s confections are particularly standout because they start with real, vibrant, sweet-tart fruit. These slabs of deliciousness actually taste juicy. Casey got her culinary training in Paris, where she learned the art of pâte de fruit from respected French confectioners. She uses the same classic technique to make her own candies, boiling real fruit purée, sugar and pectin in wide-mouthed copper pots and rolling each bite of “set” jam in sparkly crystalline sugar. Indulge in this flight of six bright flavors: kalamansi (that’s like a cross between a lemon and an orange), passion fruit, Morello cherry, strawberry, raspberry and blueberry. Bonus: All the berries are picked locally in North Carolina, and you can actually see the tiny berry seeds! Incroyable. tip of the tongue Bring these stunners to your seder for a modern take on candy fruit slices. Cut squares into quarters and set out with a board of salty, firm cheeses. Two of each flavor guarantees enough for sharing with a sweetheart, if you can even stand to part with them (we can’t).
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