Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1187612
NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 26 DECEMBER 2019 E AT + D R I N K E AT + D R I N K been making chocolates, fudge, and salt water taffy by hand for 90 years, and was happy to take on the project. The way it's worked out is impressive, especially since more than one manufacturer said it couldn't be done or shouldn't be done—which just made Wallins even more determined. "I almost broke my KitchenAid mixer, just burnt out the motor," she recalls of her early experiments with the recipe. "I made dozens of batches, throwing most away. I was just driven." The Internet, usually a wealth of informa- tion on just about any topic, was surprisingly bereft of guidance, perhaps because even in countries where halvah is a popular snack, no one makes it at home anymore. But overseas consumers have a choice of dozens of provid- ers. Here in the United States, Wallins says she only found one company in the entire country making halvah—Joyva in Brooklyn, New York. And it was clearly a mass-produced product, made with corn syrup, cottonseed oil, and soybean oil. "I was motivated to just see if I could do this without the corn syrup and the additional oils," Wallins says. "No one was trying to do this. I mean, look at the caramel world. Look at the chocolate world. There's so many brands—a new brand every other day. But this universe was just me going after it." Along the way, Wallins found inspiration in a few surprising places. In a TV segment on Martha Stewart touring the Joyva factory, she saw men stirring 64-pound batches of the thick paste by hand. Another inspiration came from that New England classic Marshmallow Fluff. Both Fluff and halvah start with a foamy nougat base—before veering off in dramatically different directions. Now, with her recipe perfected, demand for her sweet produced in Rockport is international. A gelato shop in Japan even CONTACT halvah-heaven.myshopify.com crumbles it onto their ice cream, and it's carried by the mail order specialty shop Zingerman's, which says, "She makes the best halvah we've ever tasted with a texture that's light yet solid and melts on the tongue with flavors direct and lingering." Zingerman's only sells two flavors, but if you catch Wallins at an area farmers' market, you can usually taste eight, including the addictive Silk Road, flavored with five-spice powder that makes it reminiscent of spice cake. "I'm a flavor chaser," Wallins says, noting that the unique offerings (a floral Honey Rose and a citrusy Fiore di Sicilia among them) have always been part of the plan. Her favorite right now is the Anise, but getting people to try it is a challenge, perhaps because they've had a bad past experience with the flavor. However, she says that when you combine organic vanilla (which she uses in all her blends) with anise, something magical happens. "I find the anise is a vanilla enhancer," she explains, clarifying that the anise is actually a subtle supporting character for the vanilla. For all the exotic tastes on the menu, Wallins says the most popular flavor is Peanut Butter. "I knew it was going to be fabulous," she says. "It's outselling everything right now." Perhaps that's because it is the perfect combination of exotic and American. Victoria Wallins sells Halvah Heaven (and offers free samples) at area farmers' markets. Her products are available on the North Shore at Common Crow, Joppa Fine Foods, and Willow Rest. "I almost broke my KitchenAid mixer, just burnt out the motor. I made dozens of batches, throwing most away. I was just driven." Victoria Wallins sells Halvah Heaven at Common Crow Natural Market in Gloucester. PHOTOGRAPH BY TONY SCARPETTA