LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2018

LAST-MINUTE FRESH FRUITCAKE

4 Add garlic to onion and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until fragrant. Increase heat to medium-high and pour in wine. Bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits in pan. Boil for 2 minutes or until reduced by about half. 5 Whisk flour into cream and gradually pour into skillet, while stirring. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into bowl with mushrooms and let cool. 6 Pour mushroom sauce over gnocchi in bowl and stir gently to coat. Add reserved cooking water, a little at a time, to moisten as desired. You want the gnocchi to be quite saucy as the liquid will be absorbed upon baking. Stir in parsley. 7 Spoon gnocchi into three or four 2- to 4-cup (500-mL to 1-L) shallow baking dishes. Cover tightly with plastic wrap then place dishes in freezer bags or cover with foil. Freeze for up to 1 month. 8 To serve, let gnocchi thaw in refrigerator for at least 12 hours or for up to 2 days (alter- natively, microwave baking dishes, one at a time, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on de- frost/50% power, stirring every 2 minutes, until thawed, being careful not to let them heat). 9 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). 10  Remove plastic wrap and cover baking­ dishes with foil. Bake gnocchi for about 45 min­ utes or until hot and bubbling around the edges. Uncover and bake for 10 to 15 minutes to brown top lightly. 11  Serve with a little warm cream to stir in and thin sauce, as desired, then sprinkle with Parmesan. Serves 4

4 In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat but- ter with sugar until fluffy. Beat in honey until blended, then beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in vanilla and reserved orange zest. Stir in flour mixture in 3 additions. 5 In another bowl, combine chopped oranges, cranberries, figs, pistachios and walnuts; sprin- kle with remaining¼ cup (60mL) flour and toss gently to coat. Fold into batter, just until evenly distributed. Spread into prepared pan, smooth- ing top. 6 Bake for about 1 hour and 45 minutes or until tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan on a rack for 30 minutes. Lift cake from pan using parchment paper and place on the rack; carefully slide parchment from under cake. Let cake cool completely. (The cake can be wrapped and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. To store longer, refrigerate for up to 4 days.) 7 For the icing, heat butter and milk in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring, for about 1 minute, until butter is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla, then icing sugar. Add a little more icing sugar or milk, if neces- sary, to make a thick drizzling consistency. 8 Transfer cake to a serving platter and drizzle icing over top. Let set for 10 minutes. You can cover the cake with a dome for up to 8 hours after icing. Serves 12 to 16 TIP  If fresh figs are not available, cut 6 large soft dried figs in half and place in a bowl. Pour in just enough boiling water to cover; let stand until cooled and figs are plump. Drain off liq- uid; pat figs dry, then chop. WHAT TO SERVE Degenfeld Tokaji Szamorodni LCBO 256882 (Destination Collection at lcbo.com) $19.10 Tokaji is made from grapes that have been left on the vine late in the season, allowing them to develop rich sweetness and depth of flavour. A hint of tea-like flavour in the wine makes it perfect with this fruitcake. Peller Estates Private Reserve Vidal Icewine VQA VINTAGES ESSENTIALS 18564, 200 mL $27.30 Icewine is made from grapes that have been left on the vine to freeze. This makes for a lusciously sweet wine with bright acidity, a great match for the tangy elements in this recipe.

If you missed stir-up Sunday earlier in the sea- son and don’t have fruitcakes ageing in your pantry, or if you’re not a fan of the traditional fruitcake loaded with dried fruit and peel, this is the cake for you. It’s loaded with fruit for sure—cranberries, figs and oranges along with pistachios and walnuts—but with fresh fruit surrounded by just enough sweet cake to hold it together. The fruit and honey make the cake naturally moist, so it doesn’t need to be soaked or aged and it’s ready to eat as soon as it’s cool (but a little brush of rum or brandy before the icing would be quite all right, too). The simple drizzle icing adds a finishing touch. 1 large orange 2¼ cups (560 mL) all-purpose flour, divided 1½ tsp (7 mL) ground cinnamon 1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder ½ tsp (2 mL) salt ½ tsp (2 mL) freshly grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg 1 cup (250 mL) butter, softened 1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar ¼ cup (60 mL) honey 4 large eggs, at room temperature 2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla 1½ cups (375 mL) cranberries, coarsely chopped 1 cup (250 mL) chopped fresh figs, about 6, or dry figs (see TIP) ½ cup (125 mL) chopped unsalted pistachios ½ cup (125 mL) chopped walnuts ICING 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter 1 tbsp (15 mL) milk, approx. ½ tsp (2 mL) vanilla or ¼ tsp (1 mL) almond extract About 1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar, sifted 1 Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Meanwhile, line a 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13-cm) loaf pan with parchment paper, extending about 1 inch (2.5 cm) above top edge of pan. 2 Grate 2 tsp (10 mL) zest from the orange; set aside. Cut peel and pith from orange, then cut out segments in between membranes to make what are called supremes. Chop up enough supremes to make ½ cup (125 mL); set aside. Discardmembranes and reserve any remaining orange for another use. 3 Combine 2 cups (500 mL) flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl, using a whisk.

WHAT TO SERVE Bougrier Vouvray Chenin Blanc LCBO 253229

$16.70 Vouvray is prized for its crisp acidity that will help bal- ance the richness in this dish. The subtle undertones of hazelnut in the wine will elevate the earthy character of the mushrooms. Tawse Sketches of Niagara Chardonnay VQA VINTAGES 89037 $22.20 Among the best in the world, Ontario Chardonnay is a perfect match for this rich and creamy dish. Crisp acid helps cut through the creaminess while spice influ- ences will complement the mushroom and onion.

FOOD & DRI NK HOLIDAY 2018 233