LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2021

Fresh starts from page 152

SPICED DAIQUIRI This winterized Daiquiri features aged rum, tart lime juice and a fragrant syrup of honey and mulling spices. For a quicker version, use spiced rum and plain honey syrup, made by whisking two parts honey with one part warm water. 1 lime wedge 3 whole cloves 2 oz quality aged rum 1 oz strained fresh lime juice 3/4 oz Spiced Honey Syrup (recipe follows) 1 Poke 3 evenly spaced holes in lime wedge skin with a skewer or cocktail pick. Stud each hole with 1 clove. Set aside. 2 Place rum, lime juice and Spiced Honey Syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill three-quarters full with ice. Shake until ice-cold, about 12 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with prepared lime wedge. Makes 1 drink SPICED HONEY SYRUP If you’ve got leftovers after a few rounds of Spiced Daiquiris, this wonderful syrup can be drizzled over pancakes, brushed on roast pork or stirred into chai tea. 1/2 cup (125 mL) wildflower honey 1/4 cup (60 mL) water Two 3-inch (8 cm) cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces 1 tsp (5 mL) whole allspice berries 1 tsp (5 mL) whole cloves 1 Combine honey, water, cinnamon, allspice and cloves in a small saucepan. Place over me- dium heat. (Watch carefully so it doesn’t boil over.) When mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat, cover and let stand for 2 hours. 2 Fine-strain into a bowl and discard solids. Transfer to a glass jar. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 month. Makes 3/4 cup (175 mL) BATCHED SPICED DAIQUIRIs To make 4 drinks for entertaining, combine 1 cup (250 mL) quality aged rum, 1/2 cup (125 mL) strained fresh lime juice and 6 tbsp (90 mL) Spiced Honey Syrup in a 2-cup (500 mL) Mason jar or glass bottle with a stopper. Prepare 4 lime wedges studded with cloves and place in a 1/2 cup (125 mL) Mason jar. Refrigerate for up to 8 hours in advance.

Clean sides of bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise at cool room temperature for 16 to 24 hours. 2 Grease a 13 x 9-inch (33 x 23 cm) nonstick baking pan with butter. (This may seem exces- sive, but it will stick without it.) Pour in 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil, then scrape dough onto pan. Rub top with remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil. Press and pull dough to fill pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof at room tempera- ture for 2 hours. 3 Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). 4 Dimple dough firmly with fingertips, pop- ping any air bubbles. Bake on middle rack until puffed and golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool briefly before transferring to a cooling rack. Focaccia is best eaten the same day but to make in advance, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, place in a freezer bag and freeze up to 1 month. 5 For the pork, place tenderloins on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, garlic, fennel, rosemary and chili. Rub paste all over pork. Transfer pork to a freezer bag. Press out air, seal and refriger- ate overnight. 6 Let pork sit at room temperature for 30 min- utes. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). 7 Heat canola oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add pork. Cook, turning occasionally, until nicely browned all over, 6 to 7 minutes in total. Transfer to a roast- ing pan fitted with a wire rack. Bake until an instant read thermometer inserted in thickest part reaches 140°F (60°C) for medium, 20 to 23 minutes. Rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing. (If you are making it ahead, cool pork and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.) 8 When ready to serve, slice pork 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Cut focaccia into 24 even squares. Split focaccia squares in half. In a small bowl, mix mayo, capers and lemon juice. Smear focaccia bottoms generously with caper mayo. Top with pork slices and a few arugula leaves. Affix focaccia tops with toothpicks and skewer cornichons on top. Makes 24 mini panini WHAT TO SERVE In this ale, rich, malty caramel and fruit flavours stand up to the pork and mayo. Palate-cleansing carbonation and a bittersweet finish complete the match.

Mini panini with porchetta tenderloin & caper mayo

Moist homemade focaccia sandwiches with porchetta-spiced pork tenderloin, peppery arugula and a punchy caper mayo make a satisfying three-bite appetizer. If you want to save time, use small dinner rolls instead of making focaccia. The focaccia is an adaptation of Jim Lahey’s no-knead pizza dough, with the addition of olive oil and more yeast. 1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) fine sea salt 1 tsp (5 mL) instant yeast 5 tbsp (75 mL) extra virgin olive oil, divided 1 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp (375 + 15 mL) water, at room temperature Softened unsalted butter for greasing pan PORK Two 1 lb (455 g) pork tenderloins, trimmed, cut in half crosswise Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 2 tbsp (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, grated on rasp 2 tsp (10 mL) whole fennel seeds, coarsely ground 1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) finely chopped rosemary FOCCACIA 3 1/3 cups (830 mL) all-purpose flour 1 cup (250 mL) mayonnaise (reduced fat is fine) 1/4 cup (60 mL) capers, rinsed, dried, chopped 1 tsp (5 mL) fresh lemon juice Big handful washed baby arugula Toothpicks and cornichons for serving 1 For the focaccia, place flour, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl. (Bowl should be big enough for dough to quadruple in size.) With a sturdy wooden spoon, stir in 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil and water. With your hand or a pastry scraper, briefly knead mixture in bowl to achieve soft, shaggy and slightly sticky dough. 1/4 tsp (1 mL) chili flakes 1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil

Skeleton Park Amber 6.6 LCBO 482059, 473 mL, $3.15

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HOLIDAY 2021 FOOD & DRINK