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Because of the diverse nature of the many different restaurants and chefs Brian Henry has worked under he is highly proficient at a wide range of cuisines.

Brian’s cooking is seasonal, inventive and smart, but in no way unapproachable or fussy. When he is coaxed out of the kitchen and starts talking about food, his passion and knowledge are instantly recognizable.

"Chef Brian Henry cooked a series of delicious appetizers for us as we sat around a table in the kitchen". Thanks

Tony Aspler, Wine writer

“Chef Brian Henry puts one hundred percent of his energy into going all the way.”

Birgit Moenke, Editor Stir Media Read More Reviews

Posts Tagged ‘chocolate’

Gastronomically yours,

February 11th, 2017

Valentine’s Day, Food and Sex

As Valentine’s Day approaches many people are ordering flowers, buying chocolates and making dinner reservations in pursuit of romance. For some romance means sex and what we eat on Valentine’s Day can ruin the mood. Eroticism and foods have long been paired together, even before pairing food with wine.

Numerous foods are considered to be aphrodisiacs, something that increases sexual desires which historically people believed foods that resemble genitalia were the best catalyst for arousing desires. This saw people consuming clams, oysters, bananas, asparagus, eggs, avocados and caviar in pursuit of increased sexual drives. Others choose foods based upon texture, for which I will forgo discussing and leave this to your imagination.

Kick Ass Cajun, from The Spice Co. naturally

Sharing a meal is like a slow seduction, anticipation builds upon seeing a particularly inviting meal. It can cause us to salivate, our eyes widen, and our pulse quickens, just like a sexual response.

Modern day science has been able to determine that it isn’t so much the food but what is in the food that gets us going. Oysters contain zinc and amino acids that trigger production of sex hormones, chili peppers stimulate endorphins which quicken your heart rate and make you sweaty, chocolate increases our dopamine levels, bananas contain bromelain triggering testosterone production, strawberries are loaded with Vitamin C which improves blood flow to all body parts, Pumpkin seeds are high in magnesium which helps raise testosterone levels, watermelon contains similar ingredients as  Viagra increasing  blood flow and your libido and vanilla for its sensual scent and exotic taste.

Humble Pie, from The Spice Co. naturally

Trying to combine all of these foods into a meal could see you leaving the table and heading to the bedroom for the nap and nothing else. So I developed the following recipe to include as many sensual ingredient in a manner that is mutually satisfying and falls under the hashtag food porn.

 

Aphrodite Ganache Tart

Ingredients:

For the crust

3/4 cup chocolate cookie crumbs

¾ cup raw pumpkin seeds, chopped fine

1/4 cup butter at room temperature

2 tbsp. Humble Pie, from The Spice Co. naturally

Method:

Combine crumbs, chopped seeds, butter, and sugar in a medium sized bowl and mix until evenly incorporated. Press the crust mixture firmly and evenly into a 9 inch pie or tart pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 °f for 10 minutes. Cool on a rack before filling.

For the filling

12 oz. bittersweet dark chocolate chopped

1 tbsp. butter

1 ¾ cups light whipping cream

2 tbsp. ginger peeled and coarsely chopped

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. Kick Ass Cajun, from The Spice Co. naturally

Method:

Place the chocolate and butter into a medium sized bowl.  Separately in a medium sized sauce pan heat the cream, ginger and cayenne pepper over low-medium heat, do not let it boil! Immediately pour the cream mixture through a fine meshed sieve into the bowl of chocolate. Discard the remnants. Allow the cream and chocolate to stand for about 2-3 minutes, and then stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and shiny. Pour the chocolate mixture into the cooled crust. Refrigerate for at least four hours before serving. Serve with fresh strawberries, water melon pieces and whipped cream.

 

 

Gastronomically yours,

February 7th, 2017

Chocolate Duck

Mexico is full of many secrets but none are as great as the seven secret sauces known as Mole (moh-lay) that I learned about while travelling in Mexico.

I like to use a brown Mole with duck as it quite rich and combining duck and chocolate into the same recipe is guaranteed to delight the palate and is perfect to serve on Valentines Day.
Pekin duck is a breed of duck bred from the Mallard duck in China. Its domestication was primarily for egg and meat production. In 1873 nine Pekins were exported to Long Island, New York which explains why some refer to this breed as Long Island duck. Since this time the Pekin duck has become the most consumed commercially available source of duck meat.
Peking Duck is a method of cooking duck which similar to the Pekin breed has its origins in China. This Imperial era dish originated during the Yuan Dynasty and was further developed and refined during the Ming Dynasty. The preparation of this dish focuses its attention on the crisp air injected skin preparation of the duck that is coated with seasoned honey and Hoisin sauce.

Enough about that… lets head to the kitchen and get to work on this recipe for Southwest Mole Marinated Duck with chocolate drizzle

Mexican Kitchen Cartel from The Spice co. naturally

Southwest Mole Marinated Duck

Two tomatillos husks removed and roasted (optional)
One half cup toasted sesame seeds
One half cup vegetable oil
Twelve dried Ancho chillies, stemmed, seeded and chopped
Four cloves garlic
Two thirds cup pine nuts
Two thirds cup chopped dried apricots
Three cups chicken stock
One half tsp. cinnamon
One quarter tsp. ground pepper
One eighth tsp. ground cloves
Two oz bitter sweet chocolate chopped
One tsp bread crumbs
One eighth tsp. cardamom
One half cup sugar
Six boneless duck breast
Use a spoon to scoop the pulp and juice from the tomatillos into a medium sized stock pot. Discard the skins. Add the sesame seeds to the tomatillos. In a separate pot over medium heat, heat the oil. Using a slotted spoon cook the Ancho’s in the oil until lightened in color. Transfer the Ancho’s to the tomatillo mixture. Cook the garlic and pine nuts in the oil until golden brown and add to the tomatillo pot. Remove the oil from the heat and let it cool for safe disposal. Add all remaining ingredients to the tomatillo sauce mixture excluding the duck. Cook the sauce over medium heat for half an hour.

Using an immersion blender puree the sauce until sooth and continue cooking it over low heat for another one to two hours until reduce to a thick paste. Remove sauce from heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.


Once cooled marinate the duck breasts in the mole for twelve hours covered in the refrigerator.

Remove the duck from the marinade and place fat side up onto a baking sheet.

Roast the duck at 350°f for seven minutes for medium doneness.

Remove duck from oven and cut into slices for serving fanned out onto plates.

Drizzle the duck with chocolate sauce. Serve with a medley of julienne vegetable.

Gastronomically yours,

December 21st, 2014

More S’mores Please!

So what do you do when your children’s school ask you for 150 sweet treats for their festive feast in winter? You make s’mores, these maybe a bit over the top for child gastronomes but I took pleasure in knowing that between the sugar and caffeine in each of these jars these kids would be on one hell of a tear for an hour or so!

The recipe is easy to do, should take you about 3-4 hours to complete and do not substitute milk or white chocolate… Also do not use any cream other than that listed…

 

Canned S’mores

Ingredients:

150 125ml Mason Jars

90 oz Graham Cracker Crumbs

5 lbs dark chocolate 70% or higher pistoles

4.25 liters 35% Heavy Whipping Cream

¼ cup vanilla extract

3x 400 gm bags of miniature marshmallows

¼ cup cocoa powder

¼ cup icing sugar

Method:

Remove lids from mason jars. Scoop 1.5 tbsp. of the graham crumbs into each jar.

Place enough Graham Crumbs to cover the bottom about a cm or 1/4 inch'ish

Place enough Graham Crumbs to cover the bottom about a cm or 1/4 inch’ish

If you have chocolate pistols carry on with the recipe otherwise you will need to break or chop the chocolate into small pieces.

 In a large size (2 gallon) stainless steel pot bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat. Immediately remove pot from heat and add the chocolate.

Let the chocolate rest in the cream for a minute or two.

Using a wooden spoon stir the melted chocolate with the cream until smooth without lumps.

Do not use a whisk as this may aerate the mixture forming bubbles like an Aero bar. Stir in the vanilla extract.

 Pour the chocolate ganache mixture into a large pitcher, and pour about 2-3 tbsp. into each jar over the graham crumbs.

Pouring from the pitcher is more efficient than ladeling it out

Pouring from the pitcher is more efficient than ladeling it out

 

Leave enough space for the marshmallows

Leave enough space for the marshmallows

Let the ganache cool and begin to set. While the ganache is still somewhat soft add a small handful of the miniature marshmallows on top of the ganache.

Using a blow torch on a low setting gently toast the marshmallows. Be cautious though as the little suckers like to flame up and burn easily just like when you’re sitting fireside!

I gave each of them a little blow before setting them down to make sure they were extinguished.

be careful when using the torch to avoid burnt offerings!

be careful when using the torch to avoid burnt offerings!

Using a sieve dust the marshmallows with the cocoa powder and then with the icing sugar.

Let it snow cocoa and icing sugar!

Let it snow cocoa and icing sugar!

Close up the jars, adorn with whatever decorative Pintrest seasonal swag you have on hand.

Add your decorative bits, I chose to list the ingredients on the back of my card for allergy concerns!

Add your decorative bits, I chose to list the ingredients on the back of my card for allergy concerns!

Keep the s’mores in a cool place, like a fridge or in your garage if you are in a cold climate.

smore1

 

 

 

705.875.0428

705.875.0428

Gastronomically yours,

January 21st, 2014

Duby logo

 

 

 

Wild Sweets®

By Dominique & Cindy Duby

Launches New Cocoa Bean-To-Bar

Chocolate Hearts Collection

January 20, 2014 (Metro Vancouver, BC). We are pleased to announce that 

Wild Sweets® By Dominique & Cindy Duby

 Cocoa Bean-To-Bar Online Boutique, an haute chocolate couture concept, is launching Hearts, a new cocoArt chocolate collection.

We have posted a short video on YouTube that shows the 12 steps involved in making this beautiful chocolate collection.

The exquisite hand-painted Wild Sweets® By Dominique & Cindy Duby cocoArt Hearts collection

features our exclusive Limited Release Vintage Single Origin Dominican Republic cocoa bean-to-bar chocolate.

This chocolate is made with cocoa beans from La Red, a cooperative of small-scale cacao producers in the north of the Dominican Republic.

We use the cocoa bean varietal Hispaniola for this collection.

This varietal has a distinct chocolate flavor with tamarind and citrus notes as well as roasted tones of caramel and toffee. The Hearts collection includes:

  • Individual hearts flavored with raspberry ganache, almond nougatine and raspberry jelly.
  • Hand-painted cocoArt heart filled with a creamy organic coconut & peanut butter praliné, passion fruit & raspberry pâte de fruit, organic roasted peanuts and organic dark chocolate crispy puffed rice.
  • duby 1

Such exquisite edible jewels deserve especially luxurious packaging.

 For this new collection, we worked with our graphic artist partner, Linda Mitsui,

to design a new and distinct packaging scheme based on the heart shape with repeating lines and two leading colors:

kraft to represent nature and red for love. The packaging is produced in microprint runs

and hand-finished, a process that requires patience and precision and illustrates the art of true craftsmanship.

This approach allows us to showcase the symbiosis between our chocolate-making process and our packaging —

 exclusive, meticulously crafted, single origin/limited edition and small-batch production —

resulting in one-of-kind high-quality exclusive chocolate products, which could not be achieved from a high-volume production process.

duby 2

Although the Wild Sweets® By Dominique & Cindy Duby Organic & Gourmet Chocolates

division sells its award-winning products to many retail partner stores across Canada, the cocoArt Heart,

 collection as well as all other products from our Cocoa Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Boutique, are only available for purchase online and are shipped throughout Canada and the United States. Free shipping options are available.

 The Hearts collection has a net weight of 220 g (7.8 oz) and a shelf life of four weeks from the date of shipping. It retails for C$29.99 per collection 

Click on this link to view or purchase the Wild Sweets® By Dominique & Cindy Duby cocoArt Hearts collection.

The Hearts collection is also available as part of a luxurious Gift Sleeve that includes an exclusive assortment of our

Vintage Single Origin cocoa bean-to-bar chocolate products. Click on this link to view or purchase the Hearts Gift Sleeve.

The Wild Sweets® By Dominique & Cindy Duby cocoArt Hearts Collection or Gift Sleeve are sure to meet the needs of those who seek high-quality, exclusive chocolate gifts! 

duby 3

About Us

Wild Sweets® By Dominique & Cindy Duby is Canada’s only science-based artisan cocoa bean-to-bar chocolate-maker. It evolved from a three-year research and development project in collaboration with the University of British Columbia, which resulted in the opening of a brand new virtual chocolate boutique in November 2013. Wild Sweets® By Dominique & Cindy Duby Cocoa Bean-To-Bar Chocolate Online Boutique is an haute couture concept of chocolate that is part of an exclusive group of only a few premium sweet boutiques in the world that are combined “Chocolatier | Cacaotier | Pâtissier.” The online boutique focuses exclusively on chocolate, and all the chocolate products are made from our own cocoa bean-to-bar chocolate. The boutique promises consumers a luxurious range of chocolate products that are unique in the chocolate world, thanks to the nature of and our total control over the entire chocolate-making process! To purchase our exclusive Vintage Limited Release cocoa bean-to-bar chocolate products, please visit our online chocolate boutique at www.boutique.dcduby.com For more information on the cocoa bean-to-bar process at Wild Sweets® By Dominique & Cindy Duby, please visit The Process page on our website [www.dcduby.com].

 

Dominique & Cindy Duby are the chefs and owners of Wild Sweets® By Dominique & Cindy Duby (www.dcduby.com), a critically acclaimed Designer Chocolatier Atelier, Vintage Chocolate-Maker Laboratory and Virtual Boutique, which has emerged as one of North America’s finest artisan chocolatiers. The Dubys also own DC DUBY Hospitality Services Inc., an international firm offering culinary training and consulting services to hotels and catering companies worldwide, as well as product development, food styling and photography. In addition to these full-time business endeavors, Dominique and Cindy are also award-winning authors. Their first book, Wild Sweets: Exotic Dessert and Wine Pairings, won gold for the Best Book for Food and Wine Matching (2003) at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Spain. Their second book, Wild Sweets Chocolate, won the silver award for Best Chocolate Book (2007) at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Britain. In 2008, they launched a new series of books titled Definitive Kitchen Classics. To date, three books in the series have been released: Crème Brûlée,Chocolate and Panini. The Dubys are currently working on more titles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WvG40hB-7OM

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