LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2017

TRENDSPOTTING from page 23

4 Cut beef in half along grain. Freeze beef for 30 minutes to make slicing easier. With a sharp chef’s knife, thinly slice against grain. If there are some thick spots, lightly pound with flat edge of blade. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. 5 Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook rice noodles according to instructions on package, stirring often to avoid clumping. Drain and divide among 4 warmed large deep soup bowls. Divide beef among bowls. 6 While noodles are cooking, bring broth to a boil. Add broccoli florets. Cook until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle boiling broth and broccoli over beef. Garnish with sliced broccoli stems, green onions and chili. Serves 4 BROWN BUTTER Heat 8 oz (250 g) unsalted butter on medium- low heat in a small skillet. When the water evaporates, the butter will start to bubble and you must watch carefully as it turns a nut- brown colour to make sure you don’t burn it. Swirl the pan or stir with a spatula. It takes anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. The milk sol- ids sink to the bottom and brown, the butter itself stays the same colour. It will have a nutty aroma. Pour into a bowl to cool if not using immediately, stirring occasionally. If you leave it in the pan it may continue to brown. Makes ½ cup (125 mL) brown butter ADDITIONS TO BROWN BUTTER 1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 mL) of each addition ➤ lemon juice or mild vinegar for extra flavour kitchen essentials from page 160

will drip through into the bowl. The butter in the bowl is now clarified. When the butter has cooled, store covered in the refrigerator. Makes 2 cups (500 mL) clarified butter TASTING BUTTER Many people think Canadian butter does not come up to scratch after they taste European. The secret is in the butterfat content. Most Ca- nadian butter contains around 80% butterfat, considered the minimum, while European but- ter has around 82% to 86% butterfat. The rest is water and salt. The higher the butterfat the more tender your pastry and the better your toast will taste. Some Canadian butters, such as Stirling Churn 84, do have 84% butter fat as does President’s Choice Normandy Style but- ter, which is also cultured, and Cow’s Creamery grass-fed. Many Quebec butters have higher butterfat and they are usually cultured. A real treat for butter lovers. ➤ Cultured—the cream is allowed to sour naturally before being made into butter or a culture is added. It is the souring pro- cess that gives great butter its tang, aroma and flavour! The salted ones tend to seem a bit more salty on the tongue but mellow out quickly. Quebec and European but- ter is usually cultured. Salted is the best spread for toast. Unsalted for baking and croissants. ➤ Salted Butter is best for spreading on toast but not as good as unsalted for cooking. The water content is higher (salt retains water), so the butter burns more easily. ➤ Unsalted Butter is good for baking and in cooking. Unsalted allows you to control the amount of salt that you use in your recipes and the flavour is richer. ➤ Grass Fed—this butter is made from grass- fed cows’ milk and has a smoother, edgier flavour than regular butter. Some of it is 84% butterfat. Use on toast or over vegeta- bles as it has a slight grassy flavour. It bakes well in cakes and cookies. Rolling Meadow Dairy in Ontario makes a good one. ➤ Organic—made from organic milk and usu- ally cultured. It has a smooth taste and be- cause the cows are fed with organic feed, it will not contain pesticides or herbicides. This is the choice for people who prefer to use organic products. A caveat. We did not taste every butter avail- able, just the most easily accessible for our readers.

BEEF AND ALL-THE- BROCCOL I SOUP

This fragrant noodle soup is a simplified spin on Vietnamese pho, where boiling broth cooks raw beef right in the bowl. If you are not con- fident in your knife skills, ask your butcher to slice the beef—they can freeze it and use a meat slicer. Since most broth in Tetra Paks is just short of the required measurements, make up the difference with water. 1 bunch broccoli 2 green onions 3 whole star anise 3 whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick 4 cups (1 L) unsalted beef stock 4 cups (1 L) unsalted chicken stock 3 cloves garlic, sliced 2-inch (5-cm) piece ginger, sliced ¾ lb (375 g) piece trimmed beef tenderloin ¾ lb (375 g) dried rice noodles (banh pho) 1 hot red chili pepper, thinly sliced 1 Cut broccoli crowns into florets. Peel stems and slice paper thin lengthwise on a mandolin. Cover and refrigerate florets and stems sepa- rately. Set aside trimmings. 2 Thinly slice green part of green onions. Cover and refrigerate. Set aside onion whites. 3 For the broth, heat star anise, cloves and cin- namon in a large pot over medium heat. Toast, stirring, until fragrant, about 2minutes. Careful- ly add stocks—it will vigorously steam—garlic, ginger, broccoli trimmings and onion whites. Raise heat to high. When it comes to a boil, cover and reduce heat to maintain gentle sim- mer. Cook 30 minutes. Strain broth into a clean pot, discarding solids. Add fish sauce and sugar. Season with salt. Keep warm over low heat. 2 tbsp (30 mL) fish sauce 1 tbsp (15 mL) brown sugar Salt to taste

➤ chopped shallots ➤ chopped parsley ➤ capers

CLARIFIED BUTTER Heat 1 lb (500 g) unsalted butter slowly in a small pot over medium heat. When it has lique- fied and the bubbles and sediment have risen to the top, about 10 to 15 minutes, remove from the heat and let settle for a few minutes. Pour gen- tly through a strainer lined with cheesecloth. The sediment will stay behind and the butter

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