LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2018

2 Add olives to pan and stir until hot, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar. 3 Add olive mixture to the dates, making sure to evenly distribute dates. Let marinate at room temperature, stirring occasionally, prefer- ably for a couple of hours. But if you are really pressed for time, serve immediately. Garnish with remaining sprig of rosemary. Makes 1½ cups (375 mL) SMOKED DUCK & AUTUMN FRUIT SKEWERS BY MONDA ROSENBERG Warm harvest fruit, arranged beautifully on cocktail skewers, is a welcome start to any meal. Adding pieces of sumptuous smoked duck lifts these nibbles from humble to haute, especially with a dusting of five- spice seasoning. When making your fruit choices, keep a mix of colours in mind. If you chose a ruby-skinned plum, consider a green-skinned apple or pear. We’ve stuck to Ontario fruit, but clementine sections, for example, as well as dark grapes also look good. The final touch is a spiced maple-bal- samic syrup to use as a dip or drizzle over the kebabs just before serving. SPICED MAPLE–BALSAMIC SYRUP ½ cup (125 mL) maple syrup 2 tbsp (30 mL) balsamic vinegar ¼ tsp (1 mL) cinnamon Generous pinch of ground cardamom SKEWERS 24 skewers, about 4 inches (10 cm) long 1 smoked duck breast, about 12 oz (340 g) Five-spice powder Green seedless grapes, about 6 2 plums, preferably one golden and one red-skinned 1 small apple 1 small pear or peach ½ cup (125 mL) melted butter 2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped fresh marjoram or lemon thyme Fresh marjoram or lemon thyme leaves for garnish 1 In a small saucepan, stir maple syrup with balsamic, cinnamon and cardamom. Place over medium heat. When it comes to a boil, re- duce heat so it boils gently. Continue, stirring

two-thirds the way down. Snip off the hard stem with a pair of scissors; discard. They’ll look like succulent, four-petaled flowers. Set the figs into the greased dish; set aside. 6 Gently pull the fig “petals” apart just enough to stuff some of the filling inside the fig “flower.” Stuff each fig with enough crumble to fill it up to the top—should be about 1 tbsp (15 mL) each. 7 In a small saucepan or microwaveable cup, melt the remaining 2 tbsp (30 mL) of butter with the maple syrup. Drizzle each fig with a few drops of the maple syrup and butter— about ½ tsp (2 mL) each. 8 Pop into the oven and bake for about 10 min- utes or until slightly soft but not collapsed and a little golden in places. Serve warm or at room temperature, but not cold. Makes 20 figs, 2 cups (500 mL) of filling; figure on 2 to 3 per person For me, the perfect hors d’oeuvre is one that teases your hunger but doesn’t fill you up. It‘s easy to prepare, with minimal shopping, looks good and goes perfectly with a Campari and Soda. Start with everyday store-bought olives and build from there. The flavour of the sea- soned olives, along with the tiny hits of sweet- ness from the dates, is a perfect combo. This pre-dinner nibble will have your friends won- dering where you bought them. 3 Medjool dates 1½ cups (375 mL) pitted or unpitted olives, preferably mixed in colour and type 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil 2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced HOUSE OL IVES BY HEATHER TRIM

MAPLE-ROASTED FIGS WITH WALNUTS, BACON & TAHINI BY SIGNE LANGFORD Some fruits occupy that delicious territory straddling sweet and savoury—figs are one of the finest examples. They’re meaty and sweet; tasty when eaten raw out of hand, but rich when roasted. And when you team them up with the fatty goodness of bacon, walnuts and sesame, each bite hits all the right umami notes. Try these before or even after dinner; add a dollop of crème fraîche or yogurt and serve them at brunch. To make these vegetar- ian, simply use tofu “bacon” instead. 3 tbsp (45 mL) butter, divided, plus a little more for greasing the dish 2 slices of bacon, coarsely chopped 1 small shallot, coarsely chopped 1 cup (250 mL) raw, unsalted walnut pieces 2 tbsp (30 mL) tahini ¼ tsp (1 mL) sea salt ¼ tsp (1 mL) pepper 20 small figs—black mission figs are about the right size ⅓ cup (80 mL) maple syrup 1 Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). 2 Into a skillet over medium heat, add 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the butter, the bacon and shallot; fry and stir often until the bacon and shallot are softened and beginning to brown at the edges—about 3 minutes. 3 To the pan of bacon, add the walnuts; stir to combine and don’t walk away, nuts can burn in a flash. Fry for another 3 minutes; remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a food processor along with the tahini, salt and pepper. Pulse un- til it forms a well-combined crumble. Set aside. 4 Meanwhile, lightly butter or spray with nonstick baking spray an ovenproof dish big enough to hold all the figs; set aside. 5 Using a very sharp small knife, cut a deep X into the tops or stem ends of each washed fig. Don’t cut all the way to the base; go about

1 tsp (5 mL) fennel seeds 2 small sprigs rosemary ⅛ tsp (0.5 mL) chili flakes 1 orange or lemon 1½ tsp (7 mL) sherry or red wine vinegar

1 Pit dates by breaking in half and removing pit. Then slice each half crosswise into thin strips. Place in a medium bowl. Rinse olives in a sieve and drain well. Pat dry. In a medium frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, fennel seeds, 1 sprig of rosemary cut in half, and chili flakes. Using a vegetable peeler, peel off 2 strips of citrus peel and add to pan. Stir 2 to 3 minutes, just until garlic is light golden brown.

SHOP ONLINE AT LCBO.COM

154  FOOD & DRI NK AUTUMN 2018