LCBO Food & Drink Spring 2020

TIP  Valrhona makes a prepared caramel- ized white chocolate. It’s available in small baking pellets known as fèves. These can be difficult to find, but vanillafoodcompany.ca offers 906 g bags via the web. If using, you can skip the step of caramelizing your own white chocolate and simply combine 12 oz (340 g) of the fèves with the cream in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Let the chocolate melt, add salt and whisk until smooth. Proceed as per the remainder of the recipe. WHAT TO SERVE Layer-cake lusciousness receives an elegant dimension with a sparkling wine match. Look for a demi-sec or doux style to get sufficient sweet- ness for dessert pairing. Fear not, a good-quality sweet bubbly won’t be cloying. Veuve Clicquot Rich Champagne LCBO 424341, $89.30 Making your own almond milk is a cinch. Toasting the nuts before soaking and blending adds a welcome flavour to the cake, but it’s delicious chilled, straight from a glass. The spent nut waste can be added to hummus, smoothies or protein balls if you prefer not to waste a thing. 1 Tip 1 cup (250 mL) skin-on raw almonds onto a baking sheet and toast in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 8 minutes. Let cool com- pletely, then combine in a bowl with 1 pitted Medjool date and just enough cool water to cover them. Let stand at room temperature for 10 to 12 hours. 2 Drain and blitz the nuts and swollen date in a blender (preferably a high-speed one) along with 4 cups (1 L) fresh water and a pinch of sea salt until smooth. 3 Line a sieve with several layers of cheese- cloth and set over a bowl. Pour almond mix- ture over cheesecloth and allow liquid to drain into the bowl. It may take a little squeezing near the end as the cheesecloth gets clogged, discard cheesecloth. Chill the milk in the fridge and give it a shake before using. It will keep for about 5 days. TOASTED ALMOND MILK

2 Spread the chocolate out on a clean baking sheet and bake on middle rack of oven for 40 to 50 minutes, stirring every 6 to 7 minutes, until it has the colour of peanut butter. 3 Add cream to a medium-size glass bowl and bring to a boil in microwave; scrape warm chocolate into bowl. Whisk until smooth, add salt and let cool. Cover bowl and leave at room temperature for up to 2 days. 4 For the cake, preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter three 8-inch (20-cm) round cake tins. 5 In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder. In a separate large bowl, combine eggs, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla. Using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat until sugar is dissolved and mixture has quadrupled in volume, 6 to 7 minutes. Add half the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined. Add almond milk and once again beat until combined. Mix in remaining flour mixture. 6 Divide batter between the prepared cake tins. Tip or swirl the pans to evenly distribute batter and bake in centre of oven for 24 to 27 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. 7 Let cakes rest in tins for 15 minutes then turn out onto a large baking sheet (or 2 if necessary). Cool to room temperature. 8 To assemble, whisk together cinnamon, va- nilla extract, almond milk, evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk in a medium bowl. Using a fork, poke holes in the tops of each cake layer. Spoon the milk mixture in equal quantity over each. Let stand for 10 minutes. 9 Gently reheat the reserved white chocolate ganache in the microwave until just spreadable but not liquid. Measure out 1/4 cup (60 mL) and add to a medium bowl along with the whipping cream; refrigerate. 10  Carefully transfer one of the cake layers to a serving platter or cake stand. Top with half of the remaining ganache and spread out just shy of the edge using an offset spatula. Top with another cake layer and repeat covering with the remaining ganache. Put final cake layer overtop, cover and refrigerate until thor- oughly chilled, about 3 hours. 11  When ready to serve, whip reserved cream and ganache mixture to stiff peaks. Frost the cake with cream, and serve.

TRES LECHES LAYER CAKE

Stacking layers and homemade toasted almond milk ups the ante on one of Mexico’s favourite desserts. I’ll admit this beauty is a project, but what a tasty one. You can spread the work out over a couple of days. Begin by making the Toasted Almond Milk (recipe fol- lows)—just don’t drink all of it before making the cake batter and the soaking liquid. Also, that same day, make the caramelized white chocolate and ganache. If you’d rather skip the time-consuming (but easy) step of carameliz- ing the chocolate yourself, see the TIP below. Lastly, be sure to thoroughly chill the cake before frosting. CARAMELIZEDWHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE 2 pkgs (each 170 g) white chocolate, chopped 3/4 cup (175 mL) whipping cream Pinch salt

CAKE Butter for buttering tins 1 3/4 cups (425 mL) all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt 2 1/4 tsp (11 mL) baking powder

3 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk 1 1/4 cups (310 mL) sugar

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract or paste 2/3 cup (150 mL) Toasted Almond Milk

TO ASSEMBLE 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cinnamon

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract or paste 1 cup (250 mL) Toasted Almond Milk 1 can (150 mL) evaporated milk 1/4 cup (60 mL) sweetened condensed milk 1 1/4 cups (310 mL) whipping cream

1 For the caramelized white chocolate ga- nache, preheat oven to 275°F (135°C).

Serves 8

Makes 4 cups (1 L)

100 

SPRING 2020 FOOD & DRINK