In preparation for Valentine’s day, we were invited by Good Food Toronto to participate in a chocolate decorating event to make our own Valentine’s (or un-Valentine’s) chocolate hearts. The event was hosted by Goûter Patisserie, Boulangerie & Chocolaterie and Shoko Chocolates. We were greeted by Rodney Alleguede, owner of Gouter and Royce Li, owner of Shoko Chocolates. 

All the pastries, breads, ice cream and chocolates are made in house at Gouter and are beautifully displayed in their small storefront. Shoko has partnered with Gouter and sells many of their chocolate products in the Gouter location.

Rodney and Royce led us downstairs through two floors of kitchens – we were so surprised at how much space there was behind the scenes! We arrived at our workstations with chocolate molds, cocoa butter paints and put on our aprons to make our chocolate hearts. After Rodney and Royce showed us some techniques on how to decorate our hearts, we got to work! We painted designs on the molds, spray painted coloured cocoa butter for a background colour, and then covered it with chocolate.

As we let the chocolate set, we had a taste of the delicious pastries offered at Gouter. We had an assortment of croissants, chocolate croissants and almond croissants. The croissants were incredibly buttery and flakey, yet slightly chewy. Definitely one of the best croissants we’ve had in Toronto! We also had a slice of the chocolate cake, which was extremely decadent and moist.

With help from Rodney and Royce, we removed the chocolate shells from the molds and filled them with Shoko handmade dragees (gluten-free crispies coated in chocolate) and a variety of caramels in a chocolate shell that explode with flavour! The caramel flavours we tried were whisky, passion fruit, banana, sea salt, and lime, with more available in store. We were impressed with the delicate chocolate shell holding the liquidy caramel, packing so much flavour in a small bite.

These chocolate hearts filled with bon bons are a perfect gift for Valentine’s day coming up, and the designs and selection of bon bons can be customized upon request. There are other cakes, chocolate sets, and chocolate bars on sale at Gouter which make great gifts as well. We will definitely be returning to Gouter for the baked goods as well as the artisan chocolates in the near future 🙂

Thanks again to Good Food Toronto for organizing this event!

Goûter Patisserie, Boulangerie & Chocolaterie
3507 Bathurst St, North York, ON M6A 2C5
http://www.gouter.ca/
Twitter: @GouterByRA
Instagram: @GouterByRA, @ShokoChocolates