LCBO Food and Drink Holiday 2015

holiday Baking from page 178

the fork in the syrup and “spinning” the sugar. Gather the strands together and place over the eclairs. The eclairs can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours before serving. 18  Garnish each plate with the candied orange peel, kumquats and finely chopped pistachio nuts. Serves 10

To “shorten” a bread or cake, you add “shorten- ing” (a fat such as butter or lard), which coats the flour particles and prevents the formation of gluten, the sticky, stretchy protein that makes baked goods light and chewy. P    Do you find yourself conflicted, torn be- tween the urge to indulge and the resolve to resist these sweet temptations? In that case, a word of advice. If there’s ever a time for feasting, it’s now. Think of these treats as old friends bringing comfort and joy just when we need it most—at the coldest, darkest time of the year.    After all, what really matters isn’t what you eat betweenChristmas andNewYear’s, but what you eat between New Year’s and Christmas. Robert Hercz is a Toronto-based writer. He has written for The New York Times , Saturday Night , Toronto Life , Toro , Harry and other magazines.

WHAT TO SERVE Grand Marnier LCBO 1784

$44.95 Grand Marnier’s intense orange and Cognac flavours echo elements of the dessert while the rich palate balances the density of the caramel and pastry cream. Served in a snifter or with coffee and a dollop of cream, this perennial favourite liqueur will make for a perfect conclusion to your holiday feast. Armagnac De Montal 1996 VINTAGES 964254m 700 mL $99.95 Often overlooked as a dessert pairing, Armagnac has evocative flavours of dried fruit, nut, spices, vanilla and caramel that can work wonderfully with fruit and nut-based desserts.

special occasions such as Christmas, NewYear’s and weddings. It’s still a custom in the Shetland Islands to break a cake of shortbread over the head of a new bride as she crosses the threshold of her home.    As for the name, since medieval times “short” has been used to mean crumbly.

5 Bonus Air Miles November 9th to 29th

SEVEN GENERATIONS IN THE MAKING.

Estate Grown & Bottled means that the first time our wine leaves our farm, it’s on the way to your dinner table. Enjoy our easy-drinking Cabernet Sauvignon with its lush flavours of black cherry, dark c hocolate, warm spice and toasty vanilla. PERFECT FOR TONIGHT. $14.95

2013 CABERNET SAUVIGNON ESTATE GROWN & BOTTLED VQA NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE VQA

Use LCBO.COM to FIND YOUR BOTTLE. Enter 370320 in the search field.

FOOD & DRI NK HOLIDAY 2015 253