LCBO Food and Drink Holiday 2015

CHRI STMAS PUDDING PUNCH

4 In a small bowl, whisk together chicken stock, saffron, cumin, paprika, honey and vin- egar. Scrub carrots and place on a large bak- ing sheet along with garlic; drizzle with olive oil and pour chicken stock mixture over. Sea- son with salt and pepper and wrap pan tightly with foil. 5 Place on lower rack and cook in 350°F (180°C) oven for 30 minutes. Once turkey is cooked, increase oven temperature to 450°F (230°C), remove foil from carrots and cook an additional 20 to 25 minutes, shaking pan from time to time, or until carrots are deeply caramelized. Turn carrots and garlic out onto platter; unwrap strained yogurt from cheese- cloth and scatter small dollops over carrots. Top with fried carrot tops. Serves 8 Juggling the oven, and limited space, is the trickiest part of feeding a crowd. Smart cooks use the stovetop while the oven is busy, and vice versa. While your turkey is cooking and your carrots are caramelizing, the meltingly tender potatoes can be made in a frying pan and have all the appeal of deeply roasted spuds. ½ cup (125 mL) chicken stock Juice of ½ lemon ⅓ cup (80 mL) extra virgin olive oil or duck fat 3 lbs (1.5 kg) fingerling or mini potatoes Salt and freshly ground pepper 1 large head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled Leaves from a small bunch sage (30 to 40 small to medium-size leaves, or so) 1 In a large nonstick skillet, stir together stock, lemon juice and oil (if using duck fat, fat will liquefy once heated). Add potatoes to pan; season generously with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Re- duce to low and cover with foil (or a lid if you have one) and leave undisturbed for 10 min- utes. Give the potatoes a stir, cover again, and leave for another 10 minutes. Remove foil. 2 Increase heat to medium-low, add garlic and sage to pan and give it all a stir. Cook an additional 20 minutes, stirring 3 or 4 times, or until potatoes and garlic are very tender and golden. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Keep warmwhile finishing up the turkey and carrots. Serves 8 STOVETOP FINGERL ING POTATO CONFIT

It would be impossible to have a sip of this eggnog tipple without thinking of all the Christmas puddings you’ve ever had… Only this one’s better of course! It’s sippable and will be in your hands long before you’ve over- eaten everything else. 4 cups (1 L) eggnog 2 cups (500 mL) strongly brewed chai tea, chilled 1 cup (250 mL) Marsala 2 cups (500 mL) dark rum Star anise, cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods to garnish 1 In a large pitcher or small punch bowl, stir together the eggnog, tea, Marsala, and rum; cover and refrigerate until chilled through. 2 When ready to serve, float a few star anise, 1 or 2 short cinnamon sticks and a few carda- mom pods in punch. Serve with a collection of short glasses, or even coupes. Serves 8

“NOSE-TO-TAI L” CARROTS WITH LABNEH We’re all into the waste-not, want-not ethos of nose-to-tail eating these days—and so we should be—but there’s no need to freak out the friends or parents with strange ani- mal parts. Stay on trend with these carrots, smartly dressed with their own tops fried crunchy-crisp. Labneh is very thick strained yogurt with a texture similar to cream cheese. 1 cup (250 mL) 10% MF Greek yogurt Cheesecloth 2 bunches slender carrots with fresh greens, 16 to 18 total Vegetable oil for shallow frying Salt ½ cup (125 mL) chicken stock Pinch saffron ½ tsp (2 mL) ground cumin ½ tsp (2 mL) sweet paprika 1 tsp (5 mL) runny honey 1 tbsp (15 mL) sherry vinegar 1 head garlic, cut in half through the equator 1 Six hours or so before you plan to eat, measure yogurt and turn out onto 4 layers of cheesecloth large enough to enclose yogurt. Gather corners and tie around a long spoon handle. Arrange over a deep bowl allowing yogurt bundle to hang over centre of bowl to drain. Refrigerate. 2 Meanwhile, remove tops from carrots and pick a generous 1 cup (250 mL) of fronds from the stems; wash and thoroughly dry. Discard stem and remaining tops. 3 Heat a 1-inch (2.5-cm) depth of vegetable oil in a large saucepan to 375°F (190°C). Fry carrot tops in batches for 10 seconds or so, un- til crisp. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Sprinkle with salt and set aside (fried tops will keep for up to a day, uncovered at room temperature). 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil Freshly ground pepper

just desserts from page 144

SANS RIVAL CASHEW MOCHA CAKE

Sans Rival —“Without Rival”—is a traditional Filipino meringue cake made with cashew nuts. The beauty of this version is that, like a French macaron, it MUST be made in ad- vance and “aged” in the fridge before serving. A good six to eight hours of chilling after as- sembly yields the perfect texture, simultane- ously tender and crunchy. You can purchase roasted, unsalted cashew nuts, or roast raw cashews in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 25 to 30 minutes. The mocha cream filling must be whipped to stiff peaks. For best results, make sure the cream and mixing bowl are well chilled before whipping.

246  FOOD & DRI NK HOLIDAY 2015