Le Caramel

Artisinal salty-sweet sauces, syrups and candies made the French way

Made in California with a French twist, Le Caramel slow cooks their confections using a traditional recipe from the region of Isigny sur Mer. The Normandy town is as well known for its creamy dairy products as it is for its salted butter—the magic ingredient for complimenting the candy’s sugary base. The husband-and-wife team handmake each batch of their caramel topping, cream, syrup and classic …

La Pâtisserie des Rêves

Artful confections at a Parisian gallery-style bakery

In a city where bakeries are more plentiful than actual berets, pastry maestro Philippe Conticini’s La Pâtisserie des Rêves—a futuristic gallery-like shop in Paris where sweet-toothed visitors ogle spectacular pastries and gâteaux&#8212makes a fresh addition. Conticini opened his pâtisserie in September 2009 after closing his previous pastry-focused enterprise, Exceptions Gourmandes, a year earlier. The author of several cookbooks, including “Sensations Nutella,” a book devoted entirely …

Three Healthy Snacks

New tasty potato chip stand-ins that are better for you too

Made with real sweet potatoes in North Carolina, Polka Dot Bake Shop‘s sweet potato cracker makes a healthier alternative to snacks made from their simple carb cousins. Available in four flavors—Original, Cracked Black Pepper, Rosemary and Olive Oil and Chipotle with Smoked Paprika—the crackers pack a flavorful punch that perfectly compliments milder cheeses or chutneys. They sell online from Polka Dot where $28 gets you …