LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2018

ROASTED PEAR, RADICCHIO & PECANS WITH A CREAMY CAMBOZOLA-MAPLE DRESSING The sweetness of pear and maple is a perfect foil for the bitterness of roasted radicchio and the rich— um , stinkiness or pied de Dieu , in more polite parlance—of the Cambozola. Pick a nice firm pear that will stand up to roasting— Bosc is good, both for its firmness but also for its lovely long lines. Leave the stem on; it looks more elegant. Yogurt adds an acidic tang to this vinaigrette, but if you happen to have some but- termilk on hand and want to use it up, it will work too—the dressing will just be runnier. 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil, plus a drizzle more for greasing the cookie sheet 1½ heads of red and white radicchio, cut into 6 wedges 3 pears, halved and cored (a melon baller works really well for this) 1 tsp (5 mL) pepper, divided ½ tsp (2 mL) sea salt 36 raw pecan halves, about ½ cup (125 mL) 4 oz (115 g) Cambozola, about ¾ cup (175 mL) cubed 1 tbsp (15 mL) maple syrup ¾ cup (175 mL) full-fat plain yogurt 1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard 1 Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). 2 Lightly oil a cookie sheet and lay out the radicchio wedges and pear halves, cut-side up. Drizzle with about 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil, sprinkle with ½ tsp (2 mL) of the pepper and the salt. Leave some room on the cookie sheet for the pecans, which will be added midway. 3 Pop into the oven and roast for about 15 min- utes, then add the pecans to the sheet; con­ tinue to roast for a further 10 minutes or so, for a total of 20 minutes or until the pears have just begun to soften and the radicchio is golden, soft and opening up. When done, set aside on the counter and allow to cool to room temperature. Coarsely chop nuts. 4 Into a food processor or blender, add the Cambozola, maple syrup, yogurt, Dijon and remaining pepper. Blend on high until creamy and mostly smooth, with a few small lumps left, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. 5 To serve, arrange a pear half, cut-side up, with a wedge of radicchio on each of 6 salad plates, divide pecans between them, then driz- zle each with about 2 to 3 tbsp (30 to 45 mL) of the dressing. Serves 6, makes about 1 cup (250 mL) vinaigrette

BOW-TIE PASTA WITH CRI SPY PANCETTA &

8 Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the cream, cooked pasta and reserved pasta water a bit at a time, stirring until pasta is creamy and coated. 9 Remove from heat, add the grated cheese, stir to combine, taste and adjust for saltiness. Serve at once garnished with a few crispy bits of pancetta and more cheese on top. For guests who are serious pepper fans, bring the grinder to the table. Serves 6 You’ll need either a double boiler or a bain- marie— a bowl set over a steaming pot of water on the stove—to make this elegant but easy dessert, and that’s just about the most compli- cated aspect of this perfect little after-dinner indulgence. Go ahead and make these up to two days ahead, but if you do, cover each one, tightly, with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated. This recipe will make a little extra; we suspect there will be folks going in for seconds. When freshly made, still warm and runny, this choco- late “sauce” is amazing over ice cream, a sim- ple vanilla cake or poached or roasted fruit. CHOCOLATE-MINT POTS DE CRÈME 1 Arrange serving vessels of choice on a plat- ter or tray that will fit in your refrigerator. They will need to cool and set in the fridge. We’ve based the recipe’s yield on using espresso cups or other small vessels about the same size. 2 Into the top of a double boiler or bain-marie on a gentle simmer, add both types of choco- late chips and crème de menthe. Remember, the simmering water in the pot below should not touch the bottom of the bowl; it’s the steam that is very gently heating the chocolate. 3 Use a whisk to stir every now and then as the chocolate melts, incorporating the liqueur. 4 Once the chocolate and liqueur mixture is smooth, add the 18% cream and ½ cup (125 mL) of the 35% cream; whisk to combine and con- tinue to stir and cook over the simmering wa- ter for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through, completely smooth, creamy and combined. 1½ cups (375 mL) dark chocolate chips 1 cup (250 mL) milk-chocolate chips ½ cup (125 mL) crème de menthe, white or green ½ cup (125 mL) 18% cream 2 cups (500 mL) 35% (whipping) cream; divided 1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar

A PEPPERY AS IAGO SAUCE Bow-tie pasta—aka farfalle—often comes in fun colours or even stripes; we think sophis- ticated black and white is just right for this night, but any will do. Conveniently, you can cook, drain and hold the pasta a little earlier in the day, then toss with the hot sauce right be- fore serving. We’ve made this dish with Asiago, but pecorino, Romano or Parmesan would all be fantastic. 8 cups (2 L) bow-tie pasta, cooked according to package directions Salt 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil 1 tbsp (15 mL) whole white or black peppercorns 2 cups (500 mL) diced pancetta, about 17 to 171 oz (485 to 500 g) 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter 1 shallot, finely chopped ½ cup (125 mL) dry white wine ¾ cup (175 mL) 35% (whipping) cream 2 cups (500 mL) grated Asiago, plus more for garnishing if desired 1 Cook pasta according to package directions in well-salted water. Just before draining pasta, collect and reserve about ¼ to ½ cup (60 to 125 mL) of the salty, starchy pasta water. 2 Add drained pasta to a large bowl, drizzle with about 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil, and toss to coat. Cover and set aside at room temperature. The oil will prevent the pieces of pasta from sticking together. 3 Add the whole peppercorns to a heavy-duty freezer bag and smash with a wooden mallet or rolling pin, to just coarsely crack; set aside. 4 Into a very large skillet over medium heat, add the diced pancetta; stir occasionally and fry until the pancetta is beginning to crisp up and render its fat—about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, lift out about one-third of the fried pancetta and set aside on paper towel to drain; you’ll use this as a finishing garnish. 5 Drain and save excess fat from the skillet, leaving about 1 tbsp (15 mL). Save the pancetta fat for roasting potatoes or frying eggs. 6 Add the cracked peppercorns, butter and shallot to the skillet; stir and fry until the shallot becomes translucent, about another 5 minutes. 7 Add the white wine; stir and scrape up the cooked-on tasty pancetta bits from the bottom of the skillet.

SHOP ONLINE AT LCBO.COM

216  FOOD & DRI NK HOLIDAY 2018