by Nick Lee
In celebration of all things chocolate, Chef Eyal Liebman (417 Restaurant, Boehmer, Harbour 60, Didlier) crafted a six-course chocolate-on-chocolate dinner in a pop-up venue. I was lucky to experience the 2nd iteration of this unique sweet and savoury evening. Wine sommelier Rebecca Meir (Luma) featured pairings with Stanner’s Vineyard from PEI. The featured chocolates in each course are from Valrhona Chocolates. And you’d think that from the sounds of it, a chocolate dinner would be overly sweet but it wasn’t at all up until the 6th course.
The evening was hosted by Abbey Sharp, a Toronto food blogger and host of the Abbey’s Kitchen Stadium series of chef competition events.
The intimate and packed evening started with the amuse bouche consisting of oysters with cocoa nibs infused mignotte, pickled heirloom carrots.
Oysters with cocoa nibs infused mignotte, pickled heirloom carrots
Appetizer: 2nd course was the Shrimp & Valrhona Manjari
Appetizer: Shrimp & Valrhona Manjari with pure Madagascar chocolate mole sauce, frisee salad
Charcuterie: Rabbit and Valrhona Tainori
Charcuterie: rabbit terrine, Ontario cheese, Valrhona chocolate brioche crisp
Fish: Fish and Valrhona Araguani
Mediterranean style white fish cake, parsnip, and pure Venezuelan chocolate puree
Main: Beef and Valrhona Caraibe
Beef and valrhona Caraibe with pure Caribbean chocolate, maple glazed baby carrots and asparagus
beef pastry with pure Caribbean chocolate, maple glazed baby carrots and asparagus
Dessert: Tomato, olive oil and Valrhona Ivoire
Dessert: tomato, olive oil and Valrhona Ivoire
Mignardises: Bourbon and Valrhona Jivara Lactee
Chocolate macaron, bourbon and truffle honey hot milk chocolate
Chocolate macaron, bourbon and truffle honey hot milk chocolate
Being the 6th course, the chocolate macaron and incredibly delectable truffle honey milk chocolate put a sweet ending to the extravagant chocolate dinner. It was a night to remember.
One thing that was interesting was that Chef Eyal Liebman spent most of the evening at the back in the kitchen preparing the dinner for everyone and we didn’t see him until near the end. What a modest man, letting his work speak for itself making it more about the food than his face.
If you get a chance to get on the next pop-up dinner, you should give it a try as tickets go quickly. For more info visit www.LisFor.ca
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- Dessert: tomato, olive oil and Valrhona Ivoire
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- beef pastry with pure Caribbean chocolate, maple glazed baby carrots and asparagus
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- Mediterranean style white fish cake, parsnip, and pure Venezuelan chocolate puree
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- Charcuterie: rabbit terrine, Ontario cheese, Valrhona chocolate brioche crisp
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- Appetizer: Shrimp & Valrhona Manjari with pure Madagascar chocolate mole sauce, frisee salad
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- Oysters with cocoa nibs infused mignotte, pickled heirloom carrots
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- Chef Eyal Liebman, Abbey Sharp
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- Chocolate macaron, bourbon and truffle honey hot milk chocolate
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- Chef Eyal Liebman
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- Talking about wine from Stanners Vineyard
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- Rebecca Meïr
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- Stanners Vineyard
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- Abbey Sharp gives a warm welcome
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- This horse has Drake hands
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- Abbey Sharp hard at work
Check out all of the chocolate drinks
Looking at #ChocolateDinner pictures makes me think of round 3 @MBosc – menu written @gosia101 @CMDPcomm @rogilbert pic.twitter.com/Kny72JKHoN
— L is For… (@eyalpastrychef) November 27, 2013