LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2024

Bits and Bubbles from page 169

FESTIVE HOMEMADE ICE BUCKET Making your own decorative ice bucket is easy, but it takes some time and preparation. Gather and wash evergreen branches or clip a few stray offshoots from your Christmas tree. Fill a store-bought ice bucket maker. There are lots of options available online, like Final Touch’s Ice Bottle Chiller (alwaysfinaltouch.com), or create your own by inserting a small plastic container into a larger one. Add prepared branches, fresh rosemary sprigs, dried spices, sliced citrus and cranberries to mould before adding the water. Tap water can make your ice mould cloudy; to reduce this, use twice boiled or distilled water. Place in freezer until frozen solid. FLAVOUR-INFUSED SPIRITS Creating your own unique infusions is easy. This technique is simple and very flexible; it’s a “choose your own adventure” when it comes to selecting ingredients and flavour combi nations. See a few ideas to get you started following this recipe. SPIRIT 11/2 cups (375 mL) spirit such as vodka, gin or rum FLAVOURING INGREDIENTS Dried whole spices such as cinnamon stick, allspice berries and whole star anise 8 strips of peel or 1 tbsp (15 mL) finely grated zest from citrus fruits Fresh herbs such as mint 1. Run a 2-cup (500-mL) or 4-cup (1-L) Mason jar through the dishwasher, or wash and clean before rinsing with very hot water. 2. Pour spirit into prepared jar. Add in fla vouring ingredients. Shake. Let stand, tasting every hour or so at the beginning and shaking occasionally until flavours infuse. Pluck out and remove ingredients once you taste them in the spirit. Don’t let them infuse longer or the tastes will get too strong. Depending on the ingredient, flavours can take anywhere from 1 hour to several days to infuse spirit. While they are being infused, store spirits with perishable ingredients in the fridge. When you’ve finished infusing, line a funnel with a coffee filter and fine-strain the spirit. Infused spirits will keep well, stored in a cleaned and hot-water-rinsed

jar in the fridge, for at least several days. Infused spirits can last longer, but it all depends on whether or not ingredients have been prop erly strained and if the spirit was diluted with juices in the process. If an infused spirit turns cloudy, throw it out; don’t drink it.

CURRIED CHAAT MIX WITH CHICKPEAS, CASHEWS & RAISINS Based on South Asian snack mixes, this chaat features roasted chickpeas, nuts, cereal and raisins. Spiced with turmeric, cumin and lashings of cayenne and pepper, it’s sweet, savoury, spicy and impossible to stop eating after just one handful. It will be the talk of any holiday party. 3 tbsp (45 mL) ground turmeric

Makes 11/2 cups (375 mL) infused spirit

VARIATIONS SPICED POMEGRANATE

Muddle 1/4 to 1/2 cup (60 to 125 mL) pomegranate seeds in the jar before adding rum, preferably high-proof, try Wray & Nephew (if available) or Smith and Cross Traditional Jamaican Rum (LCBO 402834, $48.90). Toss in a cinnamon stick and a few allspice berries. Infusing these spices only takes a couple or few hours. CLEMENTINE & LEMON Add the grated zest of 4 clementines and long strips of peel from a lemon (avoiding white pith) to gin, try Beefeater London Dry Gin (LCBO 570, $32.95) or Gordon’s Dry Gin (LCBO 1040, $32.15). Infusing zest takes a day or so. To make this like a “Clemencello” stir simple syrup into the finished, fine-strained spirit. MATCHA MINT TEA Add a few mint sprigs and a pinch or 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) matcha vanilla tea to vodka, try Absolut Vodka (LCBO 110056, $32.95). The mint will only take an hour or a few to infuse, so check often. Arrange a couple of thick rosemary sprigs into a wreath shape. Using florist wire, wrap and fasten rosemary to hold in place, tucking the rosemary ends away. Tie with a small piece of ribbon in a bow as you would for a regular-sized wreath, around the rosemary stems. String a beautiful ribbon through the wreath and around the neck of a bottle and voilà! DIY COCKTAIL PICKS Create your own decorative cocktail picks by fastening small decorations (especially any one-offs from years gone by that you have kicking around) to the top of wooden skewers. If needed, use a bit of food-safe adhesive, but try to make sure these parts aren’t dunked into the drink. They’re just for show! FRAGRANT HOMEMADE WREATH DECORATIONS

2 tbsp (30 mL) cumin seeds 1 tsp (5 mL) garlic powder 11/2 tsp (7 mL) cayenne, divided 1 tsp (5 mL) salt 1 tsp (5 mL) cracked pepper

2 cans (each 398 mL) chickpeas, drained, rinsed 1 tbsp + 1/2 cup (15 mL + 125 mL) coconut oil, melted, divided 3 tbsp (45 mL) honey 1 cup (250 mL) raw cashews 1 cup (250 mL) unsalted peanuts 2 cups (500 mL) puffed rice cereal 2 cups (500 mL) plain cereal, such as Shreddies or Cheerios 1/2 cup (125 mL) golden raisins 1. In a small bowl, mix turmeric, cumin seeds, garlic powder, 1 tsp (5 mL) cayenne, salt and 3. Pat chickpeas dry with paper towel. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tbsp (15 mL) coconut oil. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp (15 mL) spice mixture plus remaining 1/2 tsp (2 mL) cayenne. Shake pan to coat evenly. Roast, shaking pan occasionally, until dry and crispy, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes. 4. Reduce oven to 275°F (135°C). 5. Stir remaining 1/2 cup (125 mL) coconut oil and honey into remaining spice mix until evenly combined. 6. In a large bowl, mix cashews, peanuts, puffed rice and plain cereal until combined. Pour spiced oil mixture overtop and mix until evenly coated. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets and spread in an even layer. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until golden brown, about 1 hour. Let cool for 10 minutes. 7. In a large bowl, mix roasted chickpeas with nut and cereal mixture. Stir in golden raisins. Chaat mix can be cooled, transferred to an air tight container and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. Serves 12 pepper until evenly combined. 2. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).

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HOLIDAY 2024 ————————