Foodie: Carrie Abbott's Nutty Idea

The first in 38-year-old confectioner Carrie Abbott’s line of “nostalgia” candies, Frittle tastes like a peanutbuttery cross between brittle and fudge—delivered in pieces only slightly bigger than Scrabble letters. Try to eat just one.
Available locally at Avec Moi Catering, Goose the Market, and Homespun for about $6 per 3-ounce box, the nibbles are gluten-free and vegan. But the inspiration was sentimental. “There’s something about a simpler time,” Abbott says, recalling the trips that she and her grandfather used to take to Hook’s drugstores in the late 1970s. He would tell her to pick anything she wanted from the candy aisle, which eventually turned her on to the candy-dish flavors of lemon, cinnamon, and licorice.
Abbott has been on the food scene since 2008, when she started Full Plate Catering with former business partner Micah Frank, now co-owner of Black Market. She is working on a second candy, which will contain either cashew clusters or toasted pecans. frittlecandy.com
 

CARRIE ABBOTT’S FAVORITE THINGS

(1) Just Pop In: “They are interested in using Frittle in one of their popcorns.”
(2) Regina Mehallick at R Bistro: “A true professional and mentor, with incredible patience.”
(3) Black Market: “My favorite late-night hangout.”
(4) Burnt lemon-bar edges: “Someone should sell just the burnt edges.”

Photos by Tony Valainis

This article appeared in the September 2012 issue.