LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2022

almond flour and salt. Pulse until dough comes together. Transfer dough to clean work surface. Knead briefly until uniform and smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes. 2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough to a 12-inch (30-cm) circle about 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick. Transfer dough to a 10-inch (25-cm) fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently press into bottom and up sides of pan until uniformly thick. Patch any holes with spare bits of dough. Prick bottom with a fork. Refrigerate 20 minutes. 3. To bake tart shell, place rack in centre of oven. Preheat to 375°F (191°C). 4. Cover shell with a piece of parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake on middle rack 20 minutes. 5. Remove paper and weights, and reduce oven to 350°F (177°C). 6. Bake until sides are golden and bottom is firm, another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. (Tart shell can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 1 day.) 7. For the ganache filling, place chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. In a medium saucepan, bring cream and espresso to a simmer over medium heat. (Watch closely so it doesn’t boil over.) Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate and let stand 20 minutes. Whisk until smooth, then whisk in Cognac. Pour ganache into tart shell and refrigerate uncovered until firm, 4 to 6 hours. Cover and refrigerate up to 4 days. 8. Bring tart to room temperature and decorate with coffee beans and gold leaf (if using).

BATCH IT UP: VINTAGE YORK

SEA SALT MIST Combine 1 tbsp (15 mL) Maldon or other high-quality, flaky sea salt with 4 oz water in a small saucepan over high heat, stirring until salt dissolves completely. Cool completely, then add to a dropper bottle or mister bottle and store in the refrigerator up to 1 month. Spritz over cocktails immediately before serving to enhance and elevate any drink’s flavours. CHOCOLATE COGNAC TART Spiked with Cognac and flavoured with espresso, this sumptuous tart is a gorgeous contrast of dark, silky ganache and delicate, buttery pastry. It’s worth buying the best chocolate you can afford, which will bring more complex flavours to the party. Lindt, Valrhona and Callebaut are all excellent. unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup (125 mL) icing sugar 1 egg 1 2/3 cups (400 mL) all-purpose flour, sifted 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (95 mL) almond flour Pinch salt FILLING 13 oz (370 g) dark 70% chocolate, chopped 1/4 cup (60 mL) unsalted butter 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) whipping cream 3 tbsp (45 mL) brewed espresso or very strong coffee or 1 tbsp (15mL) instant espresso 1/4 cup (60 mL) Cognac 1/3 cup (80 mL) chocolate-covered coffee beans, halved 1 tsp (5 mL) edible gold flakes (optional) 1. In a food processor, pulse butter and icing sugar until smooth. Add egg and process 30 seconds. (Don’t worry if it looks slightly curdled.) Add flour, TART SHELL 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp (140 mL) ASplash of Cognac from page 248

Higher Standards From page 191 VINTAGE YORK The Canadian Club Chronicles series spotlights ultra-aged (40-plus-year-old!) Canadian whisky. This year’s 45-year-old bottling has complex layers of spice and caramel, complemented here by the lightly bitter, herba ceous taste of an Italian amaro. It’s a smooth and sophisticated riff on a cocktail called a Toronto, which normally gives rye a jolt of bitter Fernet-Branca amaro. 1 1/2 oz well-aged Canadian whisky, such as Canadian Club 45 1/4 oz amaro, such as Poli Vaca Mora Amaro 2 dashes bitters, such as Sullivan Luxury Old Fashioned and Manhattan Bitters Italian cocktail cherries, for garnish, such as Sullivan Luxury maraschino or amarena 1. Add whisky, amaro and bitters to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir until very well chilled. Strain into a chilled rocks glass, over a large ice cube. Garnish with a pick of cocktail cherries.

Make 12 drinks by combining 2 1/4 cups (560 mL) whisky, 1/3 cup (80 mL) amaro and 3/4 cup (175 mL) water in a 1-L glass bottle. Start with 10 dashes of bitters, stirring, tasting and adding dashes just until desired flavour is achieved (bitter flavours can build in a batched drink). You can make a batched pitcher drink, as long as you squeeze the juice within 30 minutes of serving: this is a citrus-fresh drink you can’t make too long in advance! Multiply all the ingredients by the number of drinks you want to make and stir together in a pitcher, adding 1/2 oz water for each drink in lieu of shaking with ice and refrigerating for no more than 30 minutes before serving. BATCH IT UP: HIGHLAND POMME For a pre-made, bottled cocktail, mix 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) ultra-aged premium Scotch, 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) Calvados and 3/4 cup (175 mL) water BATCH IT UP: CLOUD MARGARITA

in a 1-L glass bottle and refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

Makes 1 drink

Serves 8 to 10

246 FOOD & DRINK HOLIDAY 2022

SHOP ONLINE AT LCBO.COM