LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2024

Say Cheese from page 39

THE ONTARIO MAKER PLATTER The featured Ontario products on this board are a combination of grocery-store stalwarts and specialty shop finds. Consider them a suggestion instead of a must. If you love a good holiday craft sale, you know well that they often feature many small-batch food makers. Substitute any Ontario-made products for the suggested brands. EASY BEET-PICKLED EGGS Greaves has been making best-of-Ontario preserves since 1927. Their salad beets are a timeless favourite. Use the colourful brine to quick-pickle some hard-boiled eggs, and you’ll have two dishes to put out: dressed eggs, and a bowl of the pickled beets themselves, tricked out with a little of Kozlik’s Triple Crunch Mustard. To make 12 dressed egg halves, tip the contents of two 500-mL jars Greaves Salad Beets into a large glass bowl. Nestle 6 hard-boiled eggs into the bowl (be sure they’re covered with the brine), cover bowl and refrigerate overnight, stirring once or twice to ensure even colour. Remove eggs, halve and sprinkle each with a pinch of salt. Top each with 1/4 tsp (1 mL) creamed horse radish, a heaping 1/2 tsp (2 mL) finely diced salad beets and a sprig of dill. Drain salad beets and stir together with 2 tbsp (30 mL) Kozlik’s Triple Crunch Mustard; serve alongside. (Refrigerate any unused beets for up to 5 days.) CHEDDAR & PICKLE CHIPS Ontario produces great dill pickles. Some of our favourites include Marty’s, Alchemy Pickle Company and Tymek’s. Use whatever homegrown brand you can find near you. Black River, Maple Dale and Balderson are all excellent Ontario cheddars, and the right kind for the job. To make 12, place a scant 2 tsp (about 8 mL) grated medium cheddar in bottom of each cup in a 12-cup muffin tin. Top with two thin coins Ontario pickles. Sprinkle with 1 tsp (5 mL) more cheddar and bake in 400°F (204°C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden. Let come to room temp and remove each in one piece with a paring knife (chips may be made up to 4 hours in advance). Top each with a dollop of cream cheese and a generous pinch of chili powder.

1. For the onion jam, heat oil in large pot over high heat. Add onions and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft, beginning to brown and volume is reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Raise heat to high and stir in sugar. Stir constantly for 1 minute. Add sherry, vinegar, beef broth and bay leaf. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally until mixture is thick and jammy, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days. 2. For the cheese spread, heat cream in a small saucepan until boiling, reduce heat to low and quickly whisk in cheese and dry mustard until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container. Cool, cover and refrigerate up to 1 day. 3. For the shortbread, place butter, flour, sugar and salt in bowl of food processor. Pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add cheese, egg yolk, thyme and cayenne. Pulse a few seconds at a time until a ball begins to form. Transfer to a work surface and knead gently, just until a cohesive dough comes together. Shape dough into cylin der, roughly 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour. 5. Remove dough from fridge, unwrap and slice, using a serrated knife, into rounds roughly 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick. Place slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 6. Gently beat reserved egg white to loosen. Lightly brush each cookie with egg white and sprinkle with black pepper. Bake until firm and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to cool completely. 7. To form sandwiches, pair off cookies, gently spread 1/2 tsp (2 mL) cheese spread on the inside of one and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) onion jam on the other. Put the two cookies together to form a sandwich and set aside. Repeat with remaining cookies. Serve within 1 hour of assembly. 4. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).

FRENCH ONION SANDWICH COOKIES French onion soup is reimagined as a savoury sandwich cookie and a whimsical party snack. To make it vegetarian, simply replace the beef broth with vegetable. This recipe makes more onion jam than needed, but it’s a versatile condiment for a cheese or charcuterie board. Instead of Five Brothers, you could use Gruyère, Appenzeller or Comte. SHERRY ONION JAM 1 tsp (5 mL) canola oil 1 cup (250 mL) diced sweet onion, such as Vidalia 2 tbsp (30 mL) dark brown sugar 1/2 cup (125 mL) dry amontillado sherry 1/4 cup (60 mL) sherry vinegar 1/2 cup (125 mL) low-sodium beef broth 1 bay leaf CHEESE SPREAD 2 tbsp (30 mL) heavy cream 1/4 cup (60 mL) grated Gunn’s Hill 5 Brothers cheese, at room temperature 1/2 tsp (2 mL) dry mustard SHORTBREAD 1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, diced, cold 1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour 1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar 1 tsp (5 mL) Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1/2 tsp (2 mL) table salt 1 cup (250 mL) finely grated Gunn’s Hill 5 Brothers cheese 1 egg, yolk and white separated 1/4 tsp (1 mL) dried thyme Pinch cayenne Coarsely ground black pepper for sprinkling

Makes about 15 cookies

WHAT TO SERVE Emilio Lustau Los Arcos Amontillado Dry Sherry VINTAGES ESSENTIALS 375097, $17.95

Amontillado sherry straddles the salty, nippy cheese and sweet onion jam with ease—a great choice even if it wasn’t in the recipe.

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HOLIDAY 2024 ————————