LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2020

Warm Goat Cheese Platter This is all the good things—honey, molten cheese, nuts and great bread. It takes virtually no time and I’m sure you’ll come back to this one over and over again. Albert’s Leap Ashley is an Ontario-made ash rind cheese; your best bet for finding it is in a dedicated cheese shop, but some large grocery stores carry it as well. If unavailable, use a 340‑g wheel of goat brie instead, but do not remove top layer of rind. 12 oz (340 g) Albert’s Leap Ashley cheese 1/4 cup (60 mL) runny honey, divided 1/3 cup (80 mL) toasted walnut pieces 1/2 tsp (2 mL) chopped rosemary 6 large slices good-quality sourdough, toasted and cut in half 1 large ripe pear 1 Arrange rack in middle of oven; turn on broiler. 2 Cut a thin slice to remove top rind from the cheese; brush exposed cheese with a small amount of the honey, reserving remaining honey for later. 3 Place cheese, exposed side up, in a small ovenproof skillet and bake until cheese is molten and top is golden, about 8 minutes. Remove skillet to a board (over a small trivet to prevent burning board), drizzle with re­ maining honey, top with nuts and rosemary. Arrange toast on board. 4 Core and thinly slice pear; add to board and serve, encouraging guests to spread the molten cheese, nuts and honey on the toast and to top with a pear slice. Serves 6 to 8 CHOCOLATE BOARD Single-origin bars are made from cocoa beans from one specific source, rather than from a blend of beans from multiple sources. Much like wine, they are an expression of specific terroir. Look for bars with a geographic name- place on the label. 1 lb (455 g) assorted chocolate, preferably Ontario-made single-origin bars Assortment of dried fruit, including pineapple, strawberry and apricot Assortment of nuts including macadamia, toasted hazelnuts and toasted almonds Assortment of berries, including raspberries and strawberries 1 Arrange all on a large board. Serves 6 to 8

PORK RIBS WITH PLUM GLAZE Most of us are familiar with low and slow pork ribs, but quickly cooked ribs can be equally delicious. Here they’re sauced with an easy glaze made from late-season plums and a few pantry staples. If Chinese five-spice isn’t avail- able where you are, see TIP below. 2 racks, each about 1 lb 3 oz (540 g) pork baby back ribs, cut into individual ribs Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cup (250 mL) chopped plums, preferably a combination of prune and red plums 2 tbsp (30 mL) hoisin sauce 1/4 cup (60 mL) honey 3 tbsp (45 mL) apple cider vinegar 2 tsp (10 mL) Chinese five-spice powder 1 tbsp (15 mL) toasted sesame seeds (optional) 1 Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). 2 Line a baking sheet with foil and place a large rack overtop. Season ribs with salt and pepper and arrange on rack, meat-side up. Roast on upper rack of oven for 40 minutes. 3 Meanwhile, combine plums, hoisin, honey, vinegar, five-spice and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt in a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil, lower heat to maintain a simmer and cook 15 minutes. Purée with an immersion blender. 4 Dunk roasted ribs into glaze one at a time and return, meat-side up, to rack over baking sheet. Broil on upper rack for 4 to 6 minutes or until sticky and lightly caramelized. Remove to a platter and garnish with sesame seeds, if desired. Serves 6 to 8 TIP  One of the ingredients in Chinese five- spice is Sichuan peppercorns. If you can’t find five-spice itself, it’s likely that Sichuan pepper- corns are unavailable where you are too. No matter—simply combine 3/4 tsp (4 mL) ground anise seed (or ground star anise), 3/4 tsp (4 mL) ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground black pepper and a pinch each of ground fennel seed and ground cloves and use in place of the indicated measure of five-spice.

POACHED LEEKS, HAM & MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE We all know we should eat more vegetables, but a little ham helps sweeten the deal. You’ll need a bit of time for this one, but not much in way of effort. And it’s everything you want on a chilly autumn day. If you’d prefer not to dirty a clean kitchen towel, several layers of paper towel can be used to roll and dry the poached leeks. 1 piece smoked bone-in ham hock,

about 12 oz (340 g) 1 onion, quartered 2 cloves 1/2 cup (125 mL) olive oil

2 tbsp (30 mL) red wine vinegar 1 tbsp (15 mL) grainy mustard 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped parsley Salt and freshly ground black pepper 6 leeks

1 Place ham, onion and cloves in a medium pot. Cover with cool water; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, cover and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until ham is fork-tender. 2 Meanwhile, whisk together oil, vinegar, mus- tard, garlic and parsley in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper; set aside. 3 Trim tops of leeks 6 inches (15 cm) from root end. Trim off roots but do not cut through bulb. Create a lengthwise cut from top to bottom, but do not cut through bulb end or all the way to other side of leek; open up like a book under running water and clean between layers. 4 Remove ham from pot. Using 2 forks, shred meat; discard fat and skin. 5 Add leeks to stock, bring back to a simmer, cover and cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until tender. Remove leeks to a clean kitchen towel (strain stock and reserve for another use if you like), roll up and squeeze leeks of excess moisture. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and arrange on a platter. Top with ham, then spoon vinaigrette overtop. Serve warm. Serves 6

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AUTUMN 2020 FOOD & DRINK