LCBO Food & Drink Spring 2022

4 Wet the tip of paring knife and gently cut a slit into each biscuit in the same location, on both sides of the sandwich. (Some moisture on the tip of the knife helps the biscuit crum- ble away instead of breaking and splitting.)

MAPLE TEA-NI The floral bergamot aroma of Earl Grey tea and the sharp tea tannins are lovely when combined with Sortilège, a unique combina- tion of Canadian whisky lightly sweetened with maple syrup. Serve this drink warm or cold, with a Savoury Maple Biscuit Sandwich (recipe follows)—a new take on teatime! 4 oz boiling water 1 Earl Grey teabag 3 oz Sortilège ( LCBO 250134, $33.95) 1 grapefruit, cut in 8 wedges 2 Savoury Maple Biscuit Sandwiches, for garnish 1 In a heatproof measuring cup, pour boiling water over teabag and steep for 4 minutes. Discard teabag. 2 While tea is still warm, add Sortilège. Squeeze juice from grapefruit wedges into mixture, passing it through a fine-strainer or tea strainer to remove pulp. Stir to combine. 3 For a warm drink, pour equal amounts into two teacups, and garnish each with a Savoury Maple Biscuit Sandwich on the cup rim. For a cocktail, cool completely, and pour equal amounts over ice into two rocks glasses, and garnish each with a Savoury Maple Biscuit Sandwich on the glass rim. SAVOURY MAPLE BISCUIT SANDWICH Date and blue cheese are a flavour combo from the heavens, and maple goes beautifully with both. The surprise of biting into what looks like a standard grocery-store sandwich cookie and getting a savoury teatime sandwich is part of the high-low fun of this garnish snack! 2 maple sandwich cookies 1 large or 2 small pitted Medjool dates 1 tbsp (15 mL) soft crumbled blue cheese filling and retain four individual biscuits. 2 Chop the date into small pieces. Using a muddler or mortar and pestle, grind the date into a soft paste. You should have about 1 tbsp (15 mL) date paste. Add blue cheese and cream together until combined to form a filling. Use a spoon to form filling into two small balls. 3 Place a ball of filling on two of the biscuits. Cover with the other two biscuits. Use a par- ing knife to scrape away any excess filling from cookie edges. Makes 2 drinks 1 Carefully open maple sandwich cookies and scrape off the maple-cream filling. Discard

PANCAKE COCKTAIL Don’t flinch at the unusual-sounding list of ingredients; when combined, these flavours taste like a syrup-drizzled breakfast! Whiskies such as Jameson, Canadian Club and any bourbon work well. You may want to make extra maple-glazed bacon for snacking… It’s that good. 1 oz whisky 1/2 oz butterscotch or butter ripple schnapps 1/2 oz orange juice Strip Maple-Glazed Bacon (recipe follows), for garnish 1 Measure all ingredients except bacon into a shaker half-full of ice. Shake for about 10 seconds, or until thoroughly chilled. 2 Strain (use a fine-strainer or tea strainer if juice has pulp) into a small juice glass. 3 Serve topped with a strip of maple-glazed bacon. 1 Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Lightly coat a baking rack with nonstick cooking spray and place it on the sheet. For each drink garnish, place a slice of bacon on a second rimmed baking sheet. (Bacon can be thick or regular cut, but should be plain/smoked, not flavoured with maple or other wood. Turkey or chicken bacon also works.) Brush both sides of slices with maple syrup. Allow any excess to drip off as you transfer strips to rack on foil- lined sheet. 3 After 15 minutes, flip slices and rotate pan in oven. Check at 5-minute intervals, removing from oven when bacon is crisp and deeply glazed (about 20 minutes for turkey or chicken bacon, 25 minutes for regular bacon and 30 minutes for thick-cut bacon). Watch the pan carefully in final minutes of cooking so the glazed bacon doesn’t burn; remove the pan from your oven carefully (there will be hot fat in the bottom)! Cool 5 minutes. Use tongs to move slices to sheet of parchment to finish cooling. 2 Place sheet in a cold oven and then heat oven to 350°F (177°C). Makes 1 drink MAPLE-GLAZED BACON

Makes 2 garnishes

SPRING BLOSSOM Dried hibiscus flowers are available at tea shops and gourmet food shops (including latortilleria.ca and its two Toronto-area locations). Made glossy and bright with a coating of syrup the day before, they steep in this riff on a Champagne Cocktail, giving it a gorgeous coppery rose-gold colour, their floral essence complementing the elderflower and the earthy richness of maple. Steep extra flowers in boiling water to make a fuchsia-­ coloured, cranberry-tasting liquid, delicious as a lightly sweetened spring iced tea. 4 oz Golden maple syrup, divided 6 to 12 dried hibiscus flowers, plus more for garnish 3 oz St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur ( LCBO 180695, $49.95) 1 bottle Prosecco 1 One day before serving, put 1 oz maple syr- up into a small bowl and dip in dried flowers by their stems, then place on parchment paper or foil and let dry overnight, turning occasionally. 2 When ready to serve, in a mixing or pint glass add 3 oz maple syrup and 3 oz St‑Germain, and stir to combine. 3 Place one hibiscus flower in the bottom of each of six serving flutes or coupes. Add 1 oz of the syrup-liqueur liquid to each glass. Let sit for 5 to 15 minutes, until liquid takes on a cop- per colour and flower begins to unfurl slightly. 4 Gently stir, then pour 4 oz of Prosecco into each glass. Stir gently. Optional garnish: cut a slit in the stems of remaining flowers and perch one on each glass rim.

Makes 6 drinks

108

SPRING 2022 FOOD & DRINK