Chocolate mousse
11 oz milk chocolate (preferably Valrhona Jivara 40%), chopped
2 sheets silver gelatin or vegan plant-based gelatin
1 cup milk, almond milk or oat milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
2 tablespoons Okanagan Spirits BRBN whisky
2 cups whipping (33 per cent) cream or coconut cream

Sponge toffee
1¼ cups sugar
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
½ tablespoon vanilla extract
1½ tablespoons baking soda

Salted caramel
½ cup heavy (36 per cent) cream
2 tablespoons glucose syrup (see Note)
2 tablespoons Okanagan Spirits BRBN whisky
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

Assembly
Whipped cream (optional)
Chocolate shavings or cacao nibs (optional)

Chocolate mousse
Place chocolate in a large bowl. Bloom gelatin in cold water.

Place milk (or milk alternative) and vanilla seeds and bean in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Discard bean, then add gelatin to the mixture and stir until dissolved.

Pour hot milk over chocolate, then add whisky and whisk until smooth. Cool ganache to 30°C.

Whip cream to soft peaks. Fold cream into chocolate in three additions.

Pour into serving glasses or bowls and chill in the fridge.

Sponge toffee
Line a 12-inch square baking pan, at least 2 inches deep, with parchment paper.

Fit a deep, medium saucepan with a candy thermometer. Add sugar, water and corn syrup and cook over medium heat to 150°C (hard-crack stage), stirring often but taking care not to let the sugar splash the sides.

Working quickly and carefully — hot sugar can be dangerous — remove from heat. Whisk in vanilla and baking soda. It will foam up dramatically.

Pour into the prepared baking pan. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Salted caramel
In a small saucepan, combine cream, glucose syrup, whisky, salt and vanilla. Cook over medium heat just until the mixture comes to a simmer, about 10 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low and keep warm.

Heat a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon sugar at a time and stir with a wooden spoon until melted. Cook for 10 minutes, or until golden brown and caramelized.

Working quickly and carefully, stir the warm cream mixture into the caramelized sugar. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan and simmer until the mixture reaches a temperature of 102.8°C. Remove from heat and let cool to 37.8°C. Whisk in butter.

Note: Glucose syrup is used in commercial baking to sweeten and thicken baked goods and keep them moist. If you can’t find it, in most cases you can use corn syrup instead.

Assembly
Remove chocolate mousse from the fridge. Pour cooled caramel sauce on top. If using, top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings (or cacao nibs).

Break up small pieces of sponge toffee and arrange on top. (It’s important to do this just before serving so they stay crisp.)

Recipes and photos excerpted from Okanagan Eats: Signature Chefs’ Recipes from British Columbia’s Wine Valleys by Dawn Postnikoff and Joanne Sasvari. Photography by Jon Adrian. Copyright © 2023 by Dawn Postnikoff and Joanne Sasvari. Recipes copyright © 2023 by individual restaurants. Excerpted with permission from Figure 1 Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.