How Sweet It Is

HOW SWEET IT IS

THE CHEFS AND STORIES BEHIND SOME OF WHISTLER’S DECADENT DESSERTS

STORY BY BRANDON BARRETT | PHOTOS BY DAVID BUZZARD

The common refrain you always hear about baking is that it’s more science than art. But, according to award-winning Whistler pastry chef Dominic Fortin, it’s a little of Column A, a little of Column B.

“It is right in the middle,” says the Executive Pastry Chef for Toptable Group Whistler. “You need to master the science and then you can become an artist. Without knowing the science, you can’t go anywhere. You’re going to do a lot of tests. I’ve learned a lot by myself by doing lots of tests and after that you kind of master it. You never fully master it. But then you need that to become an artist and be able to create and challenge yourself.” >>

Scott Penfold

Dominic Fortin

Fortin has been challenging himself as one of canada’s most ambitious and creative pastry chefs for years now. In Whistler he cut his teeth at the resort’s home for epicurean indulgence, Bearfoot Bistro, before moving on to Toptable earlier this year, the restaurant group behind several successful fine-dining ventures in Whistler (and beyond)—Araxi, Il Caminetto, Bar Oso and a yet-tobe-named fourth space expected to open this year.

Through it all, the Quebec City native has exemplified that nexus of art and science which is at the heart of any dessert worth waiting three courses for, deftly combining the technical know-how of an engineer with the vivid imagination of an abstract painter.

“For me, I like creativity. That’s what drives me, and I like how pastry is very technical compared to cooking. You have some guidelines you need to respect that are really strict, so I like to push those guidelines and play with them as much as possible,” he says.

More often than not, Fortin’s canvas of choice is chocolate. A global ambassador for French luxury chocolatiers Cacao Barry, Fortin, ever the mad scientist, has actually patented two chocolates himself that are quite different than most on the market: an earthy Quannah dark chocolate, a blend of Peruvian, Cuban and Tanzanian cocoa; and a Moema milk chocolate which, at 52-per-cent cocoa, is less sweet than your average milk chocolate.

“Chocolate is really challenging,” he says. “You need to respect the temperature. It doesn’t like heat; it doesn’t like humidity. I’m someone who is really stubborn, and I was not succeeding for the longest time. I tried and I tried and I tried and then I developed some expertise in chocolate.”

“Some” expertise is an understatement. Those who have worked under Fortin will tell you he is one of the most proficient chefs with chocolate this side of the Atlantic, and is constantly challenging himself to use the ubiquitous ingredient in various ways, whether he’s dashing off a rich ganache, making fresh truffles, or using more advanced techniques, like moulding and spraying chocolate.

“I use chocolate in many different ways,” he notes. “Sometimes just to balance the acidity in a dish. Sometimes I use white chocolate just to bring texture and you won’t even taste it. I use it as different vessels. Sometimes I use it for a savoury application. Last week, I was in Montreal using chocolate with foie gras.”

While it sadly doesn’t contain foie gras, Fortin highlights a dessert he developed alongside Araxi Pastry Chef Aaron Heath from the restaurant’s winter menu: a lighter play on the Austrian Sachertorte, a refined chocolate torte that Araxi infuses with Amaretto and tops with an almond milk Chantilly. Alongside is a roasted almond praline and delicate Tahitian vanilla emulsion, cut with the tartness of preserved apricots and finished with a strong dark chocolate sorbet. >>

A FRIENDLY RIVALRY

For Scott Penfold, cheffing runs in the family; his was the kind of trial-by-fire education that you can only gain from being raised in restaurants.

“I grew up in a family of a whole bunch of chefs. My mom’s brother was a chef. My cousin was a chef. Then my brothers also followed suit for a while, and they have (since) made their way out of the industry,” he recalls.

Coming up on the savoury side of the restaurant business, Penfold was always curious about desserts, but he didn’t fully dive in until a spot opened up on the aforementioned Fortin’s pastry team at the Bearfoot Bistro about six years ago. Apprenticing under Fortin, Penfold quickly picked up the tricks of the trade, and hasn’t looked back.

Having been on both sides of the kitchen, the Brantford, Ont. native says there is always a bit of a friendly rivalry simmering beneath the surface between the pastry and the savoury teams.

“There is definitely a rivalry,” he concedes. “I’m always stealing all the equipment in the kitchen. I’m trying to horde everything for myself. It’s all for me. It’s like, ‘Get out of here.’ I even have my own little pastry shop in the basement with a door that I can close and lock. So basically, it’s like my own little side of the kitchen. I’m just like, ‘Get out of here! Close the door!’”

Of course, a little competition never hurts, particularly within the confines of an exalted fine-dining kitchen, and Penfold relishes the chance to cap off a lavish, multi-course meal with a show-stopping dessert.

“There’s a bit of pressure being the last course of the meal in the restaurant,” he says. “We’re the last things to go out and round off your meal,

especially if you’re a dessert person. Sometimes you can’t wait for the last bite of your main course to be done so you can have your dessert sent over. There’s always that pressure to deliver food that’s just as good as the last few courses.”

Penfold has no problem rising to that challenge, particularly with years of Fortin’s guidance under his belt, which served him well when coming up with his sumptuous chocolate cake that will appear on Bearfoot’s winter menu. A dark chocolate and salted caramel three-layer insert with a bit of coffee thrown in, this chocoholics’ fever dream features chocolate sponge, chocolate crémeux and spreadable caramel inside a dark chocolate mousse, topped with crispy cocoa nibs and creamy dulce de leche.

THE ORIGINS OF AN ICON

You could make a valid case for the Rimrock Café’s beloved sticky toffee pudding being Whistler’s favourite dessert. That’s not to discredit the many other worthy sweet-tooth options dotting the resort, but, if you’re gauging by reputation and longevity, it’s probably got it in the bag.

“It’s warm, it’s comforting. People love it,” says Rimrock owner Bob Dawson. “It’s been our bestselling dessert for, I’m going to say, 15 years—but it’s probably 20 years.”

On a golf trip to Scotland with a crew of Whistler buddies some years ago, Dawson stopped into the historic 18th-century Udny Arms Hotel outside Aberdeen for a pint and a bite. On their table was a tent card boasting that the hotel invented sticky date pudding. “We tried it and we loved it,” Dawson says. A couple years later, Dawson was on holiday in Australia, and sticky date pudding seemed to pop up everywhere he went. He picked up a cookbook from a revered Melbourne restaurant that contained a recipe and brought it back to his chef and founding partner, Rolf Gunther.

There were a few key changes made: they had to use regular cream instead of the double cream more common in the U.K., and, assuming Canadians weren’t big fans of dates, they changed the name to include toffee, a beloved Canadian confection if ever there was one.

“It’s very rich,” Dawson says. “But often, once people try it, even if they don’t like desserts, they love it. It’s amazing to go over to a table and see smiles on faces.”

DIVE INTO WILD BLUE

THE NEWEST PLAYER ON THE FINE-DINING SCENE FEATURES ELEVATED PACIFIC NORTHWEST CUISINE

Although whistler counts more than 100 restaurants, the major local players in the fine-dining arena have largely remained the same for years. Enter Wild Blue Restaurant + Bar, undoubtedly one of the most anticipated resort restaurant openings in years, the culmination of a partnership between four heavy-hitters from the local and B.C. fine-dining scene: Araxi founder Jack Evrensel; Neil Henderson, former restaurant director of Araxi; former Fairmont Chateau Whistler Executive Chef Derek Bendig; and Alex Chen, Vancouver Magazine’s 2018 Chef of the Year, an Iron Chef challenger, and head chef of the vaunted Boulevard Kitchen in Downtown Vancouver.

Serving up “elevated Pacific Northwest cuisine,” the menu capitalizes on Bendig’s penchant for local ingredients, something he was renowned for at the Fairmont. The award-winning chef says seafood is the “No. 1” focus, drawing inspiration from Italian, Japanese and French cuisine.

Opened this summer adjacent to the Aava Hotel, Wild Blue is putting as much emphasis on its high-end cuisine, bar program and stunning oceanic décor as its staff culture, always an important focus in Whistler with its longstanding staff shortage. That means “spa-like” changerooms, staff showers, a “chillout lounge” equipped with a pingpong table, yoga area, TV, culinary library and kitchenette, as well as ample storage for skis and bikes, and even a boot-dryer in the winter.

Learn more at wildbluerestaurant.com. — Brandon Barrett

FORTIFIED OR FIZZ

FUN AND FESTIVE DESSERT PAIRINGS FROM OUR SOMMELIER

There are so many great pastry chefs and dessert treats in Whistler. This winter season, let’s consider a couple of classic matches that you can play around with to accompany the superb dessert offerings.

Fortified wines are those that have the addition of a spirit, brandy generally, to stop fermentation and maintain natural sweetness in the wine. The most notable example of fortified wine is port. Ruby port, the category LBV (late bottled vintage) and vintage port both pair well with dark chocolate, and can also do well with savoury components of the meal. LBV is accessible, affordable and does not require long aging. Large houses such as Taylor Fladgate are available in most restaurants and shops. Tawny ports are aged for long periods in wood, with an age designation such as ten- or 20-year on the bottle. As the number goes up, so does the “tawny” character—notes of nuts, marmalade and toffee become more prominent and make great pairings for dishes like sticky toffee pudding, rich cheeses, milk chocolate and nutbased desserts. Ramos Pinto produces some of the best tawny port available, and their 20-year includes some wines well over 100-years-old in the blend.

Fizzy wines are another knockout choice for the end of the meal. I’ve been pairing Champagne with dessert my entire career, and yes, I mean proper dry Champagne, not sweeter styles. I especially love rosé bubbles, and given the current Champagne shortage (yes, this is a real thing) try a great B.C. or California sparkling, like Roederer Estate’s Anderson Valley Brut rosé. Try with every manner of dessert from chocolate to fruit, nuts or cheese! For a unique fizzy treat, look for Brachetto d’Acqui, a light red frizzante (lightly sparkling) wine from Piedmont, Italy. The 6.5 per cent alcohol of the Acquesi Brachetto d’Acqui (at BC Liquor Stores) is a gentle way to end the meal and pairs well with lighter chocolate dishes and fruit-based desserts. W —Samantha Rahn is the Fine Wine Ambassador for Select Wines, 2013 VIWF Sommelier of the Year, and longtime Whistler/Pemberton local.