LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2019

Holiday sweets from page 93

5 Lightly butter your hands. Use a small spoon to scoop about 2 tsp (10 mL) chocolate mix- ture. Press a caramel ball into the middle and roll into a ball. Drop balls into chopped pecans and roll to coat. Repeat until you have used up all the chocolate mixture. You should have about 24 balls, each 1 inch (2.5 cm). Place in a container between layers of waxed paper and keep chilled until ready to serve.

1 Combine sugar, star anise, peppercorns, salt, water and wine in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the spices. 2 Meanwhile, peel pear and cut in half length- wise. Scoop out core and trim out stem. Add to poaching liquid and adjust heat to keep at a gentle simmer. Poach pear, gently turning occasionally for 10 to 15 minutes or until just tender. Remove from heat, flip pear halves so the rounded side is down, and let cool to room temperature in the liquid. 3 Transfer pears to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside. Return liquid to high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for about 15 minutes or until reduced to about 1/2 cup (125 mL) and slightly syrupy. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain out whole spices, reserving 3 star anise. 4 For the pâté, trim chicken livers and cut in half or quarters if large. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot, garlic and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes or until softened. Add chicken livers and cook, stirring often, for about 8 minutes or until firm and just slightly pink inside. Add wine and stir up any brown bits from pan. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. 5 Place livers in food processor. Add cream cheese and 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the reserved pear poaching syrup. Purée until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 6 Line a small loaf pan, about 7 x 3 1/2 inches (18 x 9 cm), or a 5-inch (13-cm) square dish, with plastic wrap, leaving a 2-inch (5-cm) overhang. 7 Transfer 1 pear half to an airtight container and pour in remaining syrup and reserved star anise. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Cut remaining pear half lengthwise into thin slices. 8 Spread half (a scant 1 cup/250 mL) of the pâté into prepared pan, smoothing top. Ar- range pear slices on top, overlapping as nec- essary. Spoon remaining pâté on top of pears and spread to smooth. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, until chilled and set, or for up to 2 days. 9 To serve, unmold pâté onto a board or plate and peel off plastic wrap. Remove reserved pear from syrup, dice and arrange on top of pâté. Brush lightly with reserved syrup just to moisten, and garnish with reserved star anise. Serve with baguette slices.

PECAN CARAMEL TRUFFLES The Brazilian sweet brigadeiro is chocolatey and chewy—almost like a Tootsie Roll. Adding a heart of caramel and rolling it in toasted pecans makes something akin to the Turtle of your dreams. This candy is simpler to make than most, but it will still require your full at- tention as boiling sugar quickly changes from perfect to ruined and can also give you a nasty burn. These will keep well for at least a week covered in the fridge (if you can keep them around that long). SOFT CARAMEL 1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar 1 tbsp (15 mL) water 1/4 cup (60 mL) unsalted butter, cut into pieces Pinch salt 1 tbsp (15 mL) mascarpone CHOCOLATE LAYER 1 can (300 mL) sweetened condensed milk 1/4 cup (60 mL) sifted unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt 2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus extra for buttering 1 Combine sugar and water in a small heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Stir occasionally until sugar has dissolved. Let mixture come to a simmer, carefully swirling pot as it begins to turn golden. When it is a medium caramel colour (keeping in mind it will continue cooking from residual heat) remove pot from heat and quickly add butter and salt. Add mascarpone and stir until uniform. Scrape into a bowl and let cool to room temperature. 2 Clean pot. Lightly butter a heatproof plate. 3 Combine sweetened condensed milk and cocoa powder in pot and whisk until uniform. Add salt and butter and place over medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly as mixture comes to a boil. Let boil for 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture is as thick as chocolate pudding and you can see the bottom of the pan as you whisk. Scrape onto prepared plate and let cool. 4 Chill caramel for 30 minutes or until it is firm enough to scoop and roll into loose 1/2-tsp (2-mL) balls. Keep in the fridge until ready to assemble. 1 cup finely chopped toasted pecans

Makes 24 pieces

WHAT TO SERVE Intense chewy chocolate with a caramel heart merits a creamy liqueur match. Pour Cabot Trail Maple Cream ( LCBO 462424, $30.95) for a fabulous finish.

The new spice route from page 159

STAR ANISE, PEAR & CHICKEN LIVER PÂTÉ

A classic element of mulled wine, star anise lends a hint of licorice flavour and a festive touch to the poached pears in this layered pâté. There are a few steps to making this, but it’s actually quite easy and you’re sure to im- press your guests with this twist on pâté. Have it ready in the fridge to present when guests arrive to kick off any holiday party. Choose a Bartlett or Bosc pear for the best flavour and texture, and make sure it’s just ripe and not too soft for poaching. POACHED PEAR 2 tbsp (30 mL) granulated sugar 4 whole star anise 1/2 tsp (2 mL) whole black peppercorns 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) water 1/2 cup (125 mL) dry red wine (light and fruity) 1 firm-ripe pear

PÂTÉ 1 lb (455 g) chicken livers 1/4 cup (60 mL) butter

1 large shallot, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tbsp (30 mL) dry red wine (light and fruity) 2 oz (55 g) cream cheese 1 baguette, sliced, (toasted, if desired)

Serves 8 to 10

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HOLIDAY 2019 FOOD & DRINK