Roncesvalles’ new East Coast-inspired Hopgood’s Foodliner may have a sparse dessert menu of only two items, but its crispy toffee bar ($8), which comes in a brown paper package tied up with string, is a sweet and salty delight that stands on its own. We caught up with executive chef Geoff Hopgood, who told us the secrets behind his chocolate bar (turns out, it has a lot to do with blended Rice Krispies, a paint sprayer and a delectable chocolate sauce).
How they’re made:
1. Hopgood takes Rice Krispies and blends them. In the past, he experimented with whole Rice Krispies and Corn Flakes, but settled on the blended cereal for its crunch factor.
2. The blended Rice Krispies are folded in with melted white chocolate and put into a mould.
3. A layer of house-made soft toffee is slathered on top.
4. This forms the inner core of the chocolate bar, which is put in the freezer for several hours.
5. Once the bar is frozen, Hopgood paints it with a layer of melted 70 per cent Valrhona dark chocolate. This helps prepare it for its chocolate spray (see next step).
6. Hopgood takes a paint sprayer and fills it with a mixture of the same Valrhona dark chocolate and an equal portion of cocoa butter. He takes aim at the bar and blasts away.
7. The nearly-completed chocolate bar is allowed to defrost in the fridge. Before serving, it’s finished with some Maldon sea salt flakes, wrapped up in brown paper and tied off.
Why it rocks:
“It’s great because it’s smaller and hits all the right notes, as far as I am concerned, about a dessert being satisfying.” Hopgood says. “It’s not overly filling or anything, so at the end of the meal it serves the purpose of having something small and delicious.”
Hopgoods Foodliner, 325 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-533-2723
