LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2015

FOOD TWISTS

MAKE THE MOST OF THE LAST WARM AFTERNOONS ON THE DECK BY INVITING FRIENDS OVER TO SAVOUR THE FABULOUS FLAVOUR THAT OLIVE OIL IMPARTS TO BAKING. OLIVE OIL DESSERTS BY SIGNE LANGFORD • PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROB FIOCCA

Olive Oil Polenta Bundt Cake with Pine Nuts & Rose-Cardamom Syrup recipes on pages 148 & 149

masked. Never use “pumace” olive oil; it’s a result of chemical processing. Citrus-scented oils are perfect in lemon or orange recipes, but taste first; sometimes the aromas are artificial and too strong. Using olive oil is a great way to cut the animal fat from baking, but it’s not the easiest way to grease cake and muffin pans. Conventional or olive oil nonstick spray works well, and if you’re not trying to avoid dairy completely, go with good old butter.

Baking sweets with olive oil isn’t as unusual as it might sound. In Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, olive oil is used in puddings, cakes, breads and cookies. The trick to successfully integrating this healthy fat into desserts is choosing the right oil for the job, and the right recipe for the oil. Olive oil doesn’t like high temperatures, so 350°F (180°C) is ideal. Pure or “light” olive oils are less flavourful than extra virgin, so the taste is more easily

FOOD & DRI NK AUTUMN