LCBO Food and Drink Holiday 2015

dough; the second half could be used where an egg wash is required. Rapid-rise, instant- yeast works well here. No need to dissolve or “proof” ahead of time; simply add the yeast directly to the dry ingredients.

the edge closest to the marzipan bars, begin rolling the pastry into a log with a marzipan centre. Lay on the parchment, seam down. Pop the cookie sheet into the fridge for about 20 minutes. 7 Pre-heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). 8 Brush the tops and sides of cold logs with the remaining egg wash. Sprinkle with sliced almonds—the almonds will stick if you sprin- kle them carefully. 9 Bake for 20 to 25 minutes; pastry should be puffed and lightly golden. Allow to cool com- pletely before slicing, or it will just squish, not cut, under the knife. 10  To serve, bring to the coffee table—room temperature is best—on a large platter or board with a bread knife, and let folks help themselves. Makes 2 logs; serves 8 to 10 WHAT TO SERVE Taylor Fladgate 10-Year-Old Tawny Port VINTAGES ESSENTIALS 121749 $34.95 Tawny Port is the perfect after-dinner drink at this time of year. It’s also a great pairing with this marzi- pan log, offering sweetness and concentration to em- brace the dessert’s sweet, rich texture. The fresh nut, chocolate and dried-fruit flavours will harmonize with similar elements in this dessert. Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey LCBO 605063 $40.85 Impress your guests by serving this premium bourbon as a great accompaniment to the marzipan log. Served neat or in coffee, it has bold and complex caramel and spice notes that work perfectly with the flavours in the dessert.

SPONGE ¾ cup (175 mL) bread flour

¼ tsp (1 mL) rapid-rise instant yeast 2 tbsp (30 mL) cold, unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch (5 mm) pieces 5 tbsp (75 mL) milk

MARZIPAN LOG A paste of almonds and sugar, marzipan has taken a long and winding route to the Cana- dian table—from Persia in the 10th century, through Europe, to the U.K., then across the pond. Here’s our version of Banketstaaf —a traditional Dutch Christmas pastry. Make it easy and use store-bought pastry and choco- late-covered marzipan bars; it is the holidays, after all! If two logs are too many, wrap the extra one well—before baking is best—and freeze. It can be kept frozen for up to a month, though we suspect it might be gone by New Year’s Eve! All-purpose flour for dusting 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions 4 dark (semisweet) chocolate-covered marzipan bars, 4 oz (125 g) each, finest quality 1 free-range egg 1 tbsp (15 mL) water ¼ cup (60 mL) sliced almonds 1 Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside. 2 Lightly flour the counter and rolling pin; lay out the thawed pastry and lightly flour it, too. Roll out into a rectangle of roughly 11 x 13 inches (28 x 33 cm). 3 With the tip of a very sharp knife, cut in half, down the middle, lengthways. You should now have 2 pieces about 5 x 13 inches (13 x 33 cm). 4 Lay the chocolate-marzipan bars, end to end, 2 bars per log, onto the puff pastry—a little off- centre—about 1½ inches (4 cm) in from one edge. 5 In a small bowl, whisk egg with water and brush all around the edges of the puff sheets— this is your glue. 6 First, fold the corners of the ends of the pastry up and over the ends of the marzipan bars—just like giftwrapping a box; press down a little to make it stick. Then, starting at

FINAL DOUGH ¾ cup (175 mL) bread flour 1 tsp (5 mL) salt

¾ tsp (4 mL) rapid-rise instant yeast 2 tbsp (30 mL) plus 1 tsp (5 mL) sugar 2 medium eggs 6 tbsp (90 mL) cold, unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch (5 mm) pieces

1 For the sponge, combine the bread flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and milk, and mix on low speed until well combined and no butter lumps remain, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover the surface of the dough loosely with plastic wrap and allow to stand for 30 minutes. The fermentation will begin during this time, but the sponge will not ex- pand to any noticeable degree. 2 For the final dough, place the flour, salt, in- stant yeast and half the sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine. In another bowl, whisk the eggs just to break them up. Add the dry mix- ture along with the eggs to the sponge and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until the mixture is combined, about 1 minute. Replace the paddle with the dough hook and mix the dough on low speed for 5 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and mix for an additional 8 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl and the dough hook 1 or 2 times. Add the remaining sugar and mix to incorporate. 3 Add the butter in 3 additions, mixing until fully incorporated. The dough will be very soft and shiny. Wrap in 2 layers of plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 4 The dough can be held in the fridge for 2 days or frozen for 2 weeks. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using.

brEAD WINNERS from page 191

BRIOCHE Plan ahead when making this brioche dough. It must be prepared the day before and refrig- erated overnight before shaping and baking. There are three stages of preparation: the “sponge,” final dough, and finally the addi- tion of the butter. Your mixer (hopefully it’s a heavy-duty one) will definitely get a workout, so be sure it’s not too close to the edge of the counter. Note that this recipe calls for medi- um-size eggs. If you choose to use large eggs that you may already have on hand, lightly beat the second one and only use half in the

Makes enough dough for a single 8 x 4-inch (20 x 10-cm) loaf pan

226  FOOD & DRI NK HOLIDAY 2015