Nicole Plue's Sideshow Makes Sundae Topping Treats

A lauded pastry chef turns to toppings

It may be November, and we may be over the age of 10.

But our excitement at Sideshow, the new sundae-focused line of treats from pastry chef Nicole Plue (which launches today), equals that of a kid with a cone on a hot summer day.

Like the ice-cream toppings bar of our dreams, Sideshow consists of five garnishes that promise a sundae on steroids. A saltine-chocolate toffee ($14) teases with sweet and salty crunch, and another jar holds Cocoa Puffs that have been cooked slowly in sugar syrup, dipped in bittersweet chocolate and dusted in cocoa ($10). Two takes on crispy, crunchy feuilletine ($10)–one smacking of peanut butter and the other blended with cashews and candied orange–add a textural pop.

Clearly, these are not the sprinkles of your childhood.

Rather, they are the invention of Plue, a James Beard-awarded pastry queen who, until it was shuttered, manned the sweet side of the menu at Cyrus in Healdsburg, California.

Next on the Sideshow docket: sauces. Plue gave us a sneak peak by passing along her butterscotch recipe, which is shocked with a spoonful of apple cider vinegar (see the recipe).

We all scream for Sideshow.