LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2025

SHRIMP SCHNITZEL WITH HOLSTEIN AÏOLI Schnitzel Holstein is a German dish of thin, breaded veal, fried crispy and topped with egg, anchovy, capers and brown butter. Here it’s reimagined as a fun and tasty seafood starter. Any leftover aïoli can be refrigerated up to 5 days and served with meat or vegetable dishes.

SPÄTZLE MAC ’N’ CHEESE WITH KABOCHA SQUASH & SAGE

PRETZEL BAVAROIS WITH BOCK-POACHED PLUMS

By using puréed squash instead of béchamel, we bring a touch of autumnal lightness to mac ’n’ cheese without sacrificing any of its indulgent nature. The star pasta is spätzle, a rustic Central European egg noodle. If you’re unable to find dried spätzle, any bite-size egg noodle will fill in nicely. 1 kabocha squash, about 2 lbs (905 g) Salt to taste 1 cup (250 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth 2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter 1/2 cup (125 mL) sour cream 12 oz (340 g) dried spätzle 1/2 tsp (2 mL) Tabasco 1/2 tsp (2 mL) Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard 1/4 cup (60 mL) finely chopped chives 2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh sage leaves 3/4 cup (175 mL) grated aged white cheddar 2. Cut off squash stem and discard. Prick all over with a fork and wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Place on a baking tray and bake on middle rack for 11/2 hours, flipping squash after 45 minutes. Remove from oven, carefully unwrap and cool for 15 minutes. 3. Cut squash in half and discard seeds. Scrape flesh into blender and discard skin. Add salt, broth, butter and sour cream to blender. Blend on high until very smooth, adding a little more broth if necessary. Transfer to an airtight con tainer. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. (Only 2 cups/500 mL of purée are needed for this recipe. Serve the remainder as a side dish for another meal or thin it down with more broth to make soup.) 4. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high, add spätzle and cook according to instructions on package. Reserve 1/3 cup (80 mL) cooking water then drain noodles. 5. Return spätzle to pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups (500 mL) squash purée, reserved cooking water, Tabasco, Worcestershire and Dijon. Stir until well combined and heated through. Remove pot from heat and stir in chives, sage, cheddar and Gruyère until cheeses are melted. Serve hot topped with plenty of ground black pepper. 3/4 cup (175 mL) grated Gruyère Freshly ground pepper to taste 1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).

Sweet-tart plums and salty, crunchy pretzels bring new twists to a classic moulded Bavarian cream dessert. Poaching fruit in beer may seem unorthodox, but bock’s intensity and caramel ized sweetness bring another level of complexity to the dark, fruity flavours of stewed plums. BAVAROIS 1 tsp (5 mL) powdered gelatin 1/4 cup (60 mL) cold water 3 egg yolks 1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar 2 cups (500 mL) whole milk 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out and reserved 1 tbsp (15 mL) unsalted butter, softened 3 cups (750 mL) heavy cream, divided 2 cups (500 mL) finely crushed salted pretzel twists Whole pretzels to garnish PLUMS 2 cups (500 mL) quartered blue or black plums 1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar 1/4 cup (60 mL) fresh lemon juice 1 cup (250 mL) bock beer 1. The day before serving, sprinkle gelatin pow der over 1/4 cup (60 mL) water in a small bowl. Stir very gently and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Set aside. 3. Warm milk and vanilla pod and seeds over medium heat in small pot until almost simmer ing. Remove pot from heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Discard vanilla pod and return to medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and gently pour a little hot milk into egg and sugar mixture, whisking constantly to tem per eggs. Whisk in remaining milk then return mixture to pot over low heat. Whisk gently until mixture thickens to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, whisk in butter and reserved gelatin mixture. Transfer to a large bowl and cool to room temperature. Do not refrigerate. 4. While mixture is cooling, whip 2 cups (500 mL) cream to stiff peaks. Once custard is at room temperature, gently fold in one quarter of whipped cream using a whisk. Add rest of whipped cream and fold together gently until no white streaks remain. Gently fold in crushed pretzels until well combined. 2. Combine egg yolks and sugar in a medium size bowl, whisk until well combined. Set aside.

AÏOLI 1/4 cup (60 mL) unsalted butter 1 cup (250 mL) mayonnaise

1 hard-boiled egg, finely chopped 1/4 cup (60 mL) finely chopped capers 1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice 1 tsp (5 mL) anchovy paste 1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped parsley 1/2 tsp (2 mL) finely grated garlic, about 1 clove SHRIMP 2 lbs (905 g) 8/12 count shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails left on Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 3/4 cup (175 mL) all-purpose flour 2 eggs, beaten with 2 tbsp (30 mL) water 11/2 cups (375 mL) plain dry bread crumbs Canola or sunflower oil for frying Lemon wedges for serving 1. For the aïoli, heat butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Cook until foamy and browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl. When cooled to warm, stir in rest of ingre dients until thoroughly combined. Transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate up to 5 days. 2. To butterfly shrimp, use a sharp paring knife to make an incision through the centre of each shrimp from the tail on the top side toward the head, keeping the meat in one piece. Working in batches, place butterflied shrimp between two sheets of plastic wrap. Gently pound flesh with mallet or empty wine bottle to flatten lightly until shrimp is about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. 3. Place flour, egg mixture and bread crumbs in three separate medium-size bowls. Holding shrimps by the tail, dredge each in flour, then dip in egg, then coat in bread crumbs. Place breaded shrimps on tray. Refrigerate uncovered, no more than 15 minutes. 4. Heat 3/4 inch (2 cm) oil on medium-high in a heavy-bottom frying pan until hot. Working in batches to avoid crowding pan, cook shrimp until well browned and crisp on each side and cooked through, about 11/2 minutes per side. Adjust heat as necessary. Transfer cooked shrimp to a paper towel–lined tray and season lightly with salt. Serve hot with aïoli and lemon wedges. Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer

Serves 6 to 8

112

———————— AUTUMN 2025