"silver balls" news and stories

There is blogger or two out there not entirely thrilled with Sur La Table. The posh kitchen supply store may have been responsible for firing a blogger who wrote about Rachael Ray. But you will be thrilled to hear they carry silver dragees, those lovely decorating balls covered with (gasp) a little bit of real silver.

I snapped this photo at the Portland, Ore. Sur La Table the day before Christmas. As Nicole noted in her post, the label clearly states "for decoration only." If you want to buy a bottle - not to eat, mind you - you may find them at a fancy-dancy kitchen store near you.

[Photo Sarah Gilbert]

Silver dragées are the little, jawbreaker-like balls that usually adorn gingerbread houses or pastry confections in small, but beautiful numbers, particularly around the Christmas season. Their little sparkle is like a tiny star on top of a cookie tree. In vain I have searched the shelves for them this year, wanting to use them to adorn my snowflake-themed cake. Mark Pollock is the reason I could not find any silver balls for decorating this year.

Pollock, 56, is an attorney and former student activist in Northern California who sued approximately 100 of the biggest names and smallest vendors – from Martha Stewart Omnimedia to Gloria’s Cake and Candy Supplies – in pastry because he was “morally outraged” at their use of, sale of and implied endorsement of silver dragées. Though they are still legal to sell, companies no longer ship them to California stores and they have been pulled from shelves.

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