LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2020

VANILLA BUTTER CRISPS A not-too-sweet, thin, crispy cookie is the perfect vehicle for the Chocolate Whisky Paté and the dessert-board experience. They also make a lovely accompaniment to an afternoon cup of coffee or tea. For an extra vanilla boost, add the optional vanilla bean powder or paste, or scrape the seeds of half a vanilla bean into the butter. 1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) vanilla bean powder or paste (optional) 1 1/4 cups (310 mL) all-purpose flour 2 tbsp (30 mL) cornstarch 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt 1 Gently melt butter and vanilla bean powder or paste (if using) in a saucepan over low heat or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave on medium-low (30%) power for 30 to 60 seconds (melt it gently so the butter doesn’t separate). Pour into a medium bowl. 2 Combine flour, cornstarch, salt, baking pow- der and baking soda in a small bowl. 3 Add sugar to melted butter and whisk until blended. Whisk in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture to make a soft dough. Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes or until it starts to set but is still malleable. 4 Dollop dough onto a sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap and, using your hands, pat into a rectangular log, about 9 inches (23 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) wide (it likely won’t have perfectly squared edges; you can shape it more uniformly once it is chilled, or leave it rustic). Wrap up in the paper and fold ends to seal. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate until cold and firm, about 2 hours, or for up to 2 days. 5 Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mats. 6 Remove dough log from refrigerator and un- wrap. If straight edges and corners are desired, use a large knife to trim and square off sides. Cut log crosswise into very thin slices, slightly thinner than 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Arrange on prepared baking sheets, at least 1/2 inch (1 cm) apart. Refrigerate any extra sliced cookies and unsliced dough while baking. 1/4 tsp (1 mL) baking powder 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) baking soda 1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar 1 large egg 2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla

4 Place dark chocolate, 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the butter and 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the cream in a heatproof bowl. Place remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter and milk chocolate in a separate heatproof bowl. (Refrigerate remaining cream in a deep bowl to whip later.) 5 Set bowl of dark-chocolate mixture over a saucepan of hot, not boiling water, over low heat and heat until about 90 percent melted, then remove from heat and stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Set aside to cool. Turn off heat under saucepan and set bowl of milk-chocolate mixture over the pan of hot water. Let melt, stirring until smooth (the heat from the water should melt the chocolate; turn the heat on low if it doesn’t melt completely, but avoid over- heating). Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Let both chocolate mixtures cool to just until cool to the touch (don’t let them solidify). 6 Meanwhile, finely chop 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the toasted walnut halves and stir into milk-­ chocolate mixture. 7 When the chocolate is cool, whip remaining cream until firm. Fold about 3 tbsp (45 mL) of the whipped cream and the whisky into the milk-chocolate mixture just until blended. Fold remaining whipped cream into the dark-­ chocolate mixture. 8 Spread half the dark-chocolate mixture in prepared pan, smoothing top. Refrigerate for 5 minutes. Dollop milk-chocolate mixture on top and gently spread to smooth, then refrigerate for 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining dark-­ chocolate mixture. Cover with plastic wrap overhang and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until firm and set, or for up to 3 days. 9 Using plastic wrap, lift paté out of pan and unmould onto a wooden board or platter, peel- ing off plastic wrap. If paté has been chilled for longer than 3 hours and is very firm, loosely cover with plastic and let stand at room tem- perature for 30 to 60 minutes to let soften and flavours bloom. Arrange Vanilla Butter Crisps (recipe this page), berries and remaining toasted walnuts around paté and serve with knives to cut thin slices and serve on crisps.

7 Bake 1 sheet at a time for about 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are golden brown around the edges. Let cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Bake remaining cookies, 1 sheet at a time, letting baking sheets cool completely before adding more cookies. Store cookies in a cookie tin (not a plastic container as that will make them soft) at room temperature for up to 1 week. CHOCOLATE WHISKY PATÉ This old-school dessert (think a giant loaf- shaped truffle) provides a fun take on the trendy dessert “charcuterie” board. A layered, rich, as-chocolatey-as-it-gets paté, surround- ed by crispy vanilla cookies, berries and nuts creates an interactive treat and conversation piece! Use the best-quality chocolate you can find—it’s absolutely worth the splurge. If you can’t find it in a store, ask at a specialty choco- late shop and often they’ll be happy to sell you some. If you use chocolate callets or pistoles you can skip the chopping. In place of the walnuts, you can substitute pecans or skinned hazelnuts, or leave them out, if you prefer. This makes a small loaf as it’s quite rich, though it can easily be doubled and moulded in a 3-cup (750-mL) loaf pan or container. 3/4 cup (175 mL) walnut halves, divided 4 oz (115 g) dark (70 to 75%) chocolate, chopped 3 tbsp (45 mL) unsalted butter, cubed, divided 1/2 cup (125 mL) 35% whipping cream, divided 2 oz (55 g) milk chocolate, chopped 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) vanilla 2 tsp (10 mL) whisky, brandy or rum (optional) or cold brewed coffee Fresh berries 1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). 2 Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. 3 To mould the paté, use a small rectangular container (like a food storage container), foil mini loaf pan or dish with a 1 1/2 to 1 3/4-cup (375 to 425-mL) volume, about 5 to 6 inches (12 to 15 cm) long, 3 inches (8 cm) wide and 2 inches (5 cm) deep. Line the mould with plastic wrap, leaving a 2-inch (5-cm) overhang. Makes about 5 dozen cookies

Serves 8

WHAT TO SERVE Pour a ruby port alongside this heavenly paté. Its jammy red fruit and spice notes pair lusciously with the double chocolate delight and the berries. Kopke Fine Ruby Port LCBO 35766, $15.70

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FOOD & DRINK HOLIDAY 2020