LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2021

5 In a small bowl, whisk garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and remaining 5 tbsp (75 mL) olive oil. Pour over salad and mix. Season with salt and pepper, and add chopped basil. Mix again. (Salad will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 day.) 6 When ready to serve, transfer to a serving platter and bring to room temperature. Using a Y-peeler, shave Pecorino Romano over salad. (It’s strong and salty, so go easy.) Garnish with basil leaves. Serves 6 to 8

1 To make the salsa, mix the basil, straw- berries, lime zest and juice, 3 tbsp (45 mL) of honey and the pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside for 30 minutes or refrigerate up to 1 day to macerate. 2 Meanwhile, make the honey cornmeal short- cakes. Preheat oven to 400 F (204 C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 3 Grate butter into a bowl and place in freez- er until frozen, about 10 minutes. 4 In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. 5 In a small bowl, mix ⁄ cup (60 mL) honey with ⁄ cup (175 mL) of the heavy cream and stir to combine. 6 Add ⁄ cup (60 mL) of the mascarpone and the frozen butter to flour mixture. Gently stir until an even, shaggy mixture forms. Slowly pour in honey and cream mixture, and stir until just combined. 7 Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll out to a 6-inch (15-cm) square. Cut square into equal quadrants and stack pieces on top of each other. Roll out the stack of dough to a 4 x 6-inch (10 x 15-cm) rectangle. Cut into sixths and place on prepared baking sheet. Place in freezer for 15 minutes. 8 Remove from freezer. Brush tops of short- cakes with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of remaining heavy cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. 9 Place tray on centre rack in oven and imme- diately reduce temperature to 375 F (191 C). Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. 10 To make the whipped mascarpone, whisk the remaining ⁄ cup (60 mL) heavy cream with the remaining ⁄ cup (125 mL) mascar- pone until so peaks form. 11 To assemble, cut each shortcake in half like a hamburger bun. Spoon 2 to 3 tbsp (30 to 45 mL) of whipped mascarpone onto bottom of each shortcake. Spoon salsa over mascar- pone, and drizzle with the residual liquid from salsa, then replace tops. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings WHAT TO SERVE Luscious natural strawberry and melon flavours are underpinned with enough sweetness and weight to support the shortcakes’ ingredients and creamy texture. Girls’ Night Out Strawberry Samba LCBO 175034, $7.95

Pearl Couscous Salad With Corn, Zucchini & Basil Sweet corn, charred zucchini and sharp Peco- rino cheese come together for a unique spin on a pasta salad. Pearl (a.k.a. Israeli) couscous is a toasted, round pasta from the Mediterra- nean that’s particularly well-suited to salads. If you can’t find it, orzo is a worthy substitute. 3 ears corn, shucked Salt to taste 1 ⁄ cups (425 mL) pearl couscous (250 g package) 1 medium green zucchini, about 8 oz (225 g), cut into ⁄ -inch (8-mm) rounds 1 medium yellow zucchini, about 8 oz (225 g), cut into ⁄ -inch (8-mm) rounds 6 tbsp (90 mL) extra virgin olive oil, divided 1 Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add corn. Cook for 5 minutes from the time corn hits the water. Transfer to a baking dish to cool. Season water generously with salt and bring back to a boil. Cook couscous according to instructions on package. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water until cooled. Drain thoroughly and transfer to a large mixing bowl. 2 Preheat grill to high. Clean and oil grate. 3 While grill is heating, place zucchini in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil. Mix. Season with salt and pepper, and mix again. Grill until charred and tender, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet to cool. 4 When the corn is cool, hold each cob per- pendicular to a cutting board and cut kernels from cobs. Transfer kernels to bowl with cous- cous and add zucchini. Freshly ground pepper to taste 1 clove garlic, grated on rasp 1 tsp (5 mL) finely grated lemon zest 3 tbsp (45 mL) fresh lemon juice ⁄ cup (125 mL) roughly chopped basil Chunk Pecorino Romano Basil leaves for garnish

Herbal remedies from page 67

STRAWBERRY BASIL SALSA ON HONEY CORNMEAL SHORTCAKES Gone are the days of garnishing desserts with a single leaf of mint. Basil and mint are deli- cate herbs whose flavours beg to be paired with sweet summer fruit. In this recipe, a fresh seasonal salsa laced with garden herbs tops sweet honey shortcakes and a mountain of whipped mascarpone. SALSA 6 tbsp (90 mL) finely chopped basil 2 cups (500 mL) chopped hulled strawberries 2 tsp (10 mL) lime zest 2 tsp (10 mL) lime juice 3 tbsp (45 mL) honey Pinch black pepper ⁄ cup (60 mL) cold butter 1 ⁄ cups (325 mL) all-purpose flour ⁄ cup (80 mL) cornmeal 2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder 1 tsp (5 mL) salt ⁄ cup (60 mL) honey 1 cup (250 mL) plus 1 tbsp (15 mL) heavy cream, divided ⁄ cup (175 mL) mascarpone, divided 1 tbsp (15 mL) turbinado sugar

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SUMMER 2021 FOOD & DRINK