LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2025

SPELLBOUND ROSE HOT CHOCOLATE Trick out your dessert table with the main ingredients for this enchanting twist on Parisian hot chocolate for a witchy, alchemist-style quick-assembly sweet treat. Layer a beautiful platter with 2/3 lb (300 g) good-quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces, and 1/2 cup (125 mL) edible dried roses. Warm 3 cups (750 mL) whole milk with 1/4 cup (60 mL) dried roses in a large saucepan over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add chocolate, remaining roses and a pinch of salt. Whisk over medium heat until smooth and warm, about 5 more minutes. Pour through a fine sieve into small cups. Top with your favourite liqueur—think nut, cream, herbal or citrus ones or even try a little rum. Set out a little brown sugar for guests to add, if they like.

1 egg 1 cup (250 mL) shaken buttermilk 1/4 cup (60 mL) unsalted butter, melted, cooled 1 cup (250 mL) grated cheddar cheese 1/2 cup (125 mL) drained canned corn kernels 1 small jalapeño, finely diced Nonstick cooking spray 1. For the chicken, place chicken on a baking sheet and pat dry with paper towel. Season with salt. 2. Heat oil in a large nonstick frying pan on medium-high. Add chicken, skin side down. (Work in two batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan.) Cook until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer chicken back to baking sheet. 3. Reduce heat to medium. Drain off some excess fat, if desired. Add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add apple cider, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Stir in ketchup, Worcester shire and cayenne until evenly combined. Return chicken to pan, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook, turning chicken occasionally, until cooked through and tender, about 35 minutes. 4. Transfer chicken to a plate and raise heat to high. Boil sauce until it thickens to consistency of barbecue sauce, about 7 minutes. (Reduce heat if it’s splattering too much.) Return chicken to pan, cover and remove from heat. 5. For the waffles, mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside. 6. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg, buttermilk and butter. Stir in dry ingredients until a smooth, uniform batter forms, then gently fold in cheese, corn kernels and jalapeño. 7. Preheat oven to 200°F (93°C). Coat a round, 7-inch (18-cm) waffle maker with nonstick cook ing spray and preheat to medium. 8. Pour one third of batter into press. Close and cook until golden and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Repeat twice more to use remaining batter, keeping waffles warm in oven. When last waffle is cooking, reheat chicken. 9. Leave waffles whole or (for smaller appetites) break each into four sections. Divide chicken and waffles between plates.

STRANGER FIGS When these bites bloom open during baking, they’ll conjure creatures from the silver screen— think Stranger Things , Pan’s Labyrinth or even Little Shop of Horrors . Serve them on All Hallows’ Eve, or while watching the premiere of the final season of Stranger Things later this fall. 1/4 cup (60 mL) pistachios 2 oz (55 g) Manchego cheese (optional) 16 fresh figs, about 1 case 4 long, thin slices cured ham such as speck, Serrano, Spanish jamón or prosciutto Drizzling of store-bought balsamic glaze (optional) 2. Shell and chop pistachios. Slice cheese and then break into 16 pieces, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in size. Slice an “x” in the stemmed end of each fig. Stuff each with a piece of cheese. Tear each slice of cured ham into 4, for 16 pieces in total. Loosely fold each piece of ham and tuck into centre of each fig with cheese. The ham pieces should look a bit like a flower. 3. Bake in centre of oven until warm and beginning to open, 20 to 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove to a platter. Sprinkle with pistachios. Drizzle with balsamic glaze. Serve immediately. 1. Preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). WHAT TO SERVE Emilio Lustau Los Arcos Amontillado Dry Sherry LCBO 375097, $18.95 Baking concentrates the sweet-salty flavours of these delectable treats while the balsamic glaze adds complexity and tang. A rich dry sherry embraces all these different elements beautifully. Makes 16 stuffed figs

Makes 31/3 cups (830 mL) hot chocolate, enough for 10 servings

Pressed to Impress from page 51

CORNBREAD WAFFLES WITH STOVETOP BBQ CHICKEN

Chicken and waffles are a match made in heaven. This version strays from the classic by pouring fully-loaded cornbread batter right into the waffle iron, which yields crisp, golden and fluffy corn waffles in minutes. It’s topped with sticky, tangy stovetop barbecue chicken, but to save time, you could use rotisserie chicken and your favourite bottled barbecue sauce instead. BBQ CHICKEN 3 to 4 chicken drumsticks 3 to 4 chicken thighs, backs removed Salt to taste 1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil 1 onion, thinly sliced 1 cup (250 mL) apple cider 1 cup (250 mL) ketchup 2 tbsp (30 mL) Worcestershire sauce 1/2 tsp (2 mL) cayenne pepper

CORNBREAD WAFFLES 3/4 cup (175 mL) all-purpose flour 3/4 cup (175 mL) coarse yellow cornmeal

1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder 1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

Serves 3 to 4

116

———————— AUTUMN 2025