LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2023

Celebrate the Present from page 80

3. To make a gremolata, stir parsley with lemon zest and fresh garlic. Season with salt. (If making ahead, mixture without garlic will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 day. Add garlic just before serving.) 4. Before you’re ready to begin cooking, pat steak dry. Rub steak with 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil and sprinkle with 1 tsp (5 mL) salt and pepper. Bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, slice radicchio into quarters or thick, chunky wedges. Brush with 2 tbsp (30 mL) oil and sprinkle with some of the salt. Place mushrooms in a cast-iron skillet or grill pan or vegetable grilling basket. Drizzle with 2 tbsp (30 mL) oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt. Toss to mix. 5. Oil grill. Preheat barbecue to high, adjust ing temperature so it isn’t flaring. 6. Add mushrooms, steak and radicchio to the grill in that order. Sear steak until golden, charred grill marks form, 2 to 4 minutes. Turn and continue grilling until grill marks form on the other side and grill until the steak feels cooked to your liking when gently touched. If it feels like the soft part of your cheek, it’s likely medium-rare, about 2 to 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness. (Very thin steak needs only 2 minutes per side.) When steak is done, loosely cover with foil and set aside for 10 minutes. Cook radicchio until charred before removing to a large bowl or baking sheet, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove mushrooms to a heatproof surface, after about 8 to 10 minutes. 7. When steak has rested, thinly slice and set on a large carving board or platter. Arrange radicchio wedges and mushrooms over the board. Drizzle everything with half of the sauce. Scatter small chunks of blue cheese all over. Serve remaining sauce alongside. Sprin kle everything with prepared gremolata. TIP To roast garlic, preheat barbecue to medium, or a toaster oven to 400°F (204°C) . Slice top from garlic head and place on a small square of foil. Drizzle with 1 tsp (5 mL) olive oil. Tightly wrap. Barbecue or roast until tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, carefully open foil and let cool. Squeeze softened garlic from paper skins before using. WHAT TO SERVE Hidden Bench Estate Organic Pinot Noir VQA VINTAGES ESSENTIALS 274753, $37.95 Pinot Noir is perfect for this recipe! Black cherry, orange, vanilla, nutty notes and fine acidity provide a refreshing match to the dish’s complex flavours. Serves 6 to 8

ONTARIO SPRITZ BY VICTORIA WALSH

This bright and balanced version of a classic Bee’s Knees is an excellent way to showcase your favourite cocktail ingredients from close to home. Start with syrup made from a local honey of your choice and add gin from a nearby distillery. Top off this combination with some vibrant Ontario sparkling wine for that celebratory feel or, for something a little out‑of-the-ordinary, add a splash of tart gose from a homegrown craft brewery. 1 1/2 oz local gin 3/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tbsp (15 mL) Honey Syrup (recipe follows) Lemon Zest & Sugar Rimmer (recipe follows) 2 oz local rosé sparkling wine or gose beer, chilled 1 lemon twist or edible flower such as chamomile or lavender (thoroughly washed) 1. Pour gin, lemon juice and syrup into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled. Strain into a chilled and rimmed coupe or cocktail glass. Top with chilled sparkling wine or beer. Garnish with lemon twist or flower. Makes 1 drink HONEY SYRUP Make a big batch of honey syrup for a pitcher-style spritz recipe, and use up any leftovers in mocktails, or drizzled over a seasonal fruit salad. Pour 1/4 cup (60 mL) water and 1/2 cup (125 mL) local Ontario honey (preferably wildflower) into a small saucepan. Set over medium heat and stir occasionally until dissolved. Let cool. If making ahead, store in a sealed container LEMON ZEST & SUGAR RIMMER Finely grate zest from 1 lemon using a rasp. Spread over paper towel and let dry for at least 8 hours or overnight. Add a mound of granulated sugar, about 1/4 cup (60 mL), to cutting board or plate. Sprinkle dried lemon zest on top of sugar. To recreate our glass decoration, use painter’s tape to create an angular shape before moistening the glass with lemon juice and dipping it in the sugar mixture. Carefully peel off the tape, and voila! in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 1/2 cup (125 mL) plus 1 tbsp (15 mL)

BAVETTE STEAK, MUSHROOMS & RADICCHIO WITH SPICY-SWEET SAUCE Feeling over-the-top? Salty, sweet and tangy sauce and umami-rich mushrooms served with pleasingly bitter and crispy charred radicchio and an intensely flavoured French steak cut pings like a pinball machine going off, but with a myriad of tastes. If there was ever a dish that embodied drama, this is it! 3 tbsp (45 mL) harissa paste 1 head garlic, roasted (see TIP) 1/4 cup (60 mL) finely chopped parsley 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 lb (455 g) bavette or flank steak 5 tbsp (75 mL) olive oil, divided 1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) salt, divided, plus more for seasoning Generous pinches cracked black pepper 1 large or 2 small heads radicchio 1 lb (455 g) mixed mushrooms 3 oz (85 g) blue cheese 1. Finely grate zest from lemon and squeeze juice. You should have almost 2 tbsp (30 mL) zest and 3 tbsp (45 mL) juice. 2. To make butter sauce, set a small saucepan over medium heat. Add butter, honey and harissa. Heat until combined. Squeeze roasted garlic out of its papery skins and mash it into the sauce as best you can. Stir in lemon juice. (If making butter sauce ahead, it will keep well, covered and refrigerated overnight, without garlic added. Add garlic just before serving) 1 large lemon 1/2 cup (125 mL) salted butter 3 tbsp (45 mL) honey

164 FOOD & DRINK AUTUMN 2023