LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2018

TWISTS  MORNING UMAMI

PARMESAN FRENCH TOAST WITH MUSHROOM FRICASSÉE

6 tbsp (90 mL) unsalted butter, divided Finely sliced chives to garnish

French toast without maple syrup, you say? Topped with woodsy stewed mushrooms, this crisp, cheesy pain perdu is 100-percent savoury. If the bread slices are much bigger than 4-inch (10-cm) square, either trim them down or use 6 slices and serve 1½ pieces per person.

salt and pepper. Working in batches of 3, soak bread for 15 seconds per side in egg mixture. Transfer to a baking sheet. 5 Heat 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter in a large non- stick frying pan over medium heat. Working in batches of 3, cook soaked bread until deep brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Repeat until bread and eggmixture are used up. 6 While French toast is cooking, reheat mush- rooms over a medium-low heat. (Add a splash of water if it’s too thick.) Serve 2 slices of French toast per person and divide mushroommixture overtop. Sprinkle with chives. Serves 4

1 For themushroom fricassée, combine porcini and water in a small bowl. Let stand 20minutes. Remove porcini and squeeze dry. Rinse por- cini in sieve under running water. Squeeze dry, roughly chop and set aside. Carefully decant porcini broth, leaving sediment behind, and reserve. 2 Heat butter in a large frying pan over me- dium-high heat. When the butter is sizzling, add mixed mushrooms and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Add porcini and reserved broth. Cook until most liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Add cream and simmer until thick- ened to a saucy consistency, about 1 minute. Season with pepper and remove from heat. 3 For the French toast, preheat oven to 200°F (100°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 4 Whisk eggs and Dijon in a large mixing bowl until Dijon is fully incorporated. Whisk in milk then Parmesan and thyme. Season with

MUSHROOM FRICASSÉE ½ oz (15 g) dried porcini mushrooms

½ cup (125 mL) boiling water 2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter

1 lb (455 g) mixed mushrooms, sliced Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste ½ cup (125 mL) heavy cream PARMESAN FRENCH TOAST 4 large eggs 1 tbsp (15 mL) Dijon mustard ¾ cup (175 mL) whole milk ½ cup (125 mL) finely grated Parmesan 1½ tsp (7 mL) chopped thyme Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 8 slices day-old good-quality white sandwich bread, about 4 inches (10 cm) square and ½ inch (1 cm) thick

WHAT TO SERVE Rocca delle Macìe Chianti Classico VINTAGES ESSENTIALS 741769, $18.95 Pelee Island Pinot Noir Reserve VQA LCBO 458521, $17.95

64  FOOD & DRI NK HOLIDAY 2018