Cacao Barry Flavour Dinners to inspire Chefs: Executive Chef Daniel Craig and Executive Pastry Chef Gaël Moutet of TOCA restaurant, Toronto, Canada

Cacao Barry® is honoured to announce that the seventh Flavour Dinner was designed by Executive Chef Daniel Craig and Executive Pastry Chef Gaël Moutet of TOCA restaurant of the Ritz-Carlton Toronto.

Toronto, June 26th, at the Toca restaurant located in the beautiful Ritz-Carlton hotel, Cacao Barry invited 20 Chefs to discover an exclusive menu. “TOCA offers handcrafted Italian cuisine complemented by seasonal flavours and locally-sourced produce. Located in the heart of Toronto’s Performing Arts & Theatre District, the restaurant occupies the mezzanine level of The Ritz- Carlton hotel.”

This amazing culinary adventure was undoubtedly Italian inspired but we were about to taste something that was totally different from the regular menu at the restaurant with the added element of chocolate throughout all the courses!

Our Flavour Dinner started in fashion with two decadent canapés: baked Avonlea cheddar Oysters with Zéphyr white chocolate and saffron milk followed by fennel jam, currant tomatoes, Straciatella, cocoa bean oil and tarragon served with a refreshing cocktail of orange bitter and whisky topped with bubbly Prosecco.

The amuse bouche where just a taste of what was to come with a very interesting flavour pairing as cheese was revealed as the secret ingredient. It was time to discover the menu elaborated by Dan Craig, Executive Chef and Gael Moutet, Executive Pastry Chef pairing their secret ingredient, cheese and Cacao Barry chocolates for this challenge.

The flavour pairing dinner had just kicked off for the guests, but the whole experience was actually initiated 175 years ago with a Scottish man named Charles Barry who started a quest for extraordinary chocolate flavours. Cacao Barry is thrilled to continue this journey today by exploring chocolate flavour pairings. As we all know the most exciting journey means nothing if you cannot share it with someone. This is what Monday night was all about, an opportunity for the 20 selected Chefs and Media to share experiences, discover an exclusive menu and be inspired.

The first course of the menu was a Heritage Tamworth Country pate, foie gras, summer vegetables, aged Gouda, Saint-Domingue dark chocolate mustard and crispy sourdough beautifully paired with the Tawse Rosé, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, 2016.The StDomingue Chocolate mustard brought a touch of acidity to the dished and was balanced by the salty crush and delicate caramel notes of the aged Gouda.

The second dish would not disappoint with an elaborate infusion that was made before our eyes on the dinner table.

The roasted spot prawn consommé was poured onto delicious morel mushrooms, an Extra Brute Cocoa agnolotti filled with fresh ricotta and topped with sweet summer peas. The flavours of the dish where all tied together with the Doga Delle Clauvule, Vermentino, Tuscany, 2015.

The following dish created by Pastry Chef Gael Moutet titled The Romaine, combined sweetness from the Zéphyr Caramel white chocolate, a savory touch with the lettuce leaf and the Parmigiano Reggiano and an elegant acidity and fruitiness with the passion fruit sorbet with a touch of basil. Reminiscent of the classic Caesar Salad, this very clever and original dish was paired with the freshness and delicate acidity of the Flat Rock Cellars, Riesling, “Limestone”, Twenty Mile Bench, 2014.

The menu took us through to the main course featuring Ontario lamb saddle, red cabbage, stone fruit, cornmeal, feta cheese and La Esmerelda dark chocolate and Baco Noir reduction. The rich flavours of the La Esmeralda Rare chocolate with its intense cocoa taste, combined with a balanced bitterness and sublimed by the freshness and acidity of citrus dazzling notes paired exquisitely well with the Henry of Pelham Baco Noir, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, 2014 and the bold flavour of the lamb.

Last but not least, the dessert created by pastry chef Gael Moutet, who had just returned from a fabulous trip to La Esmeralda plantation in the Dominican Republic with Cacao Barry and 10 other chefs from Canada. His recent adventure in the tropical forest and wonders of cocoa undoubtedly sparked his creativity for this remarkable dessert: Baobab Fruit, Citrus Cream and an Alto El Sol dark chocolate mousse topped with a crunchy cocoa tuile and a delicate spritz of a La Esmeralda cocoa perfume made from the cocoa nibs from the plantation! The dessert was paired with Peller Estates’ delicious ice wine that brought a sweet touch to this bold chocolate dessert.

Nothing would have been possible without Executive Chef Daniel Craig, Executive Pastry Chef Gaël Moutet and their fantastic team. They accepted the challenge to play with chocolate flavours and imagine the most delicious pairings. The chefs chose cheese as the one ingredient to pair with Cacao Barry chocolates to design a five course menu.

Again tonight the 20 guests enjoyed a fascinating dinner, sharing their experience and inspirations leaving the restaurant full of new ideas for their creations.

See you soon at our next Flavour Dinner!