LCBO Food & Drink Spring 2026

11/2 tsp (7 mL) white miso 1 tbsp (15 mL) honey 2 medium-size shallots, thinly sliced 1 package (250 g) Halloumi (or halloom) cheese 1 tbsp + 1/3 cup (15 mL + 80 mL) virgin peanut or canola oil Extra furikake to garnish 2. For the croutons, toss bread with oil, furikake and salt. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast 12 to 14 minutes, turning halfway through, until toasted and crisp. Set aside. 3. Place cucumber on a board and trim ends. Lay the side of a chef’s knife over the length and use the heel of your palm to crack the cucumber, being careful to avoid knife edge with your palm. Rotate a quarter turn and repeat—the cucumber should have several cracks running down its length. Tear into generous bite-size pieces and add to a colander along with salt and sugar. Toss, set in sink and let drain 20 minutes. 4. In a large salad bowl, combine vinegar, orange juice, miso and honey; whisk to combine. Add shallots and let stand while cucumber is draining. 5. Cut Halloumi in half through the seam to create two slabs. Heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high. Brown cheese, 2 to 3 minutes per side. When cool enough to handle, tear into pieces about half the size of the cucumber pieces. 6. Blot cucumber dry with a paper towel and add to salad bowl along with remaining 1/3 cup (80 mL) oil, the cheese and croutons. Toss to encourage the croutons to soak up some of the dressing, sprinkle salad with a little more furikake and serve. 1. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).

4. Drain and rinse beans under cool water. Tip into a food processor along with reserved cooking liquid, garlic, almond butter, lemon juice and salt. Run on high until very smooth, anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper; keep covered until ready to serve. 5. When tomatoes are done, scrape hummus onto a serving plate (or large, shallow bowl) and create a well in centre with a large spoon. Spoon tomatoes and garlic cloves into well and dress with as much of the flavourful oil as you like. Serve garnished with smoked almonds (if using) and with sourdough on the side for scooping. WHAT TO SERVE Family Tree ‘The Merry Widow’ Rosé VQA LCBO 24972, $16.95 Look for a medium-bodied Ontario rosé with bold character rather than ethereal subtlety. Think up-front cherry and red-berry fruitiness and enough subtle acidity to match the tangy roasted tomatoes. Seaweed is having a moment, and there’s probably no better shortcut to eating more of the stuff than in furikake. These Japanese rice-toppers come in all sorts of flavour combinations. In its simplest form, known as nori komi , it consists of seaweed, sesame seeds, sugar, salt and MSG. Katsuo nori includes smoked fish flakes. Both types have a real affinity for cucumber. Sometimes new flavour combinations can be weird—this isn’t one of those times. Virgin peanut oil tastes like peanuts (!) and is available at Asian grocers. If that’s not practical, use neutral canola oil instead. FURIKAKE CROUTONS 3 cups (750 mL) coarsely torn, roughly cubed sourdough bread 3 tbsp (45 mL) virgin peanut or canola oil 1 tbsp (15 mL) furikake, preferably nori komi or katsuo nori type (see headnote) Pinch salt 1 large English cucumber 1 tsp (5 mL) Diamond Crystal kosher salt 1 tsp (5 mL) sugar 2 tbsp (30 mL) white wine vinegar 2 tbsp (30 mL) orange juice Serves 6 to 8 CUCUMBER PANZANELLA WITH FURIKAKE CROUTONS

WHITE BEAN & ALMOND BUTTER HUMMUS Almond butter has a deep, toasty warmth that swaps quite nicely into a white bean hummus. Warm and jammy cherry tomatoes seasoned with garlic and smoked paprika complete the vibe—think all the flavours of the best cocktail nuts in dip form. Mahogany-crusted sourdough to scrape things up is the move here. SMOKY CONFIT TOMATOES 8 oz (225 g) cherry or grape tomatoes 1/2 tsp (2 mL) Diamond Crystal kosher salt 1/2 tsp (2 mL) smoked paprika Pinch chili flakes 1 bay leaf 6 cloves garlic, peeled 1/2 cup (125 mL) extra virgin olive oil HUMMUS 1 can (540 mL) white kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1/4 tsp (1 mL) baking soda 2 cloves garlic, peeled 1/4 cup (60 mL) stirred unsweetened almond butter 2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped smoked almonds (optional) Sourdough bread to serve 2. For the Smoky Confit Tomatoes, combine all ingredients in a glass pie plate (or any other small, non-reactive baking dish) and bake for 90 minutes or until tomatoes and garlic are soft and jammy. 3. For the hummus, tip contents of the bean can into a small pot. Stir in baking soda. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until beans are very soft, about 15 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup (60 mL) of the cooking liquid. 1. Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C).

Serve 4

WHAT TO SERVE Wakatake Demon Slayer Onikoroshi

Junmai Genshu Sake LCBO 26388, 720 mL, $27.80

Depending on how the rice was polished, some old-school sakes deliberately aim to offer savoury, earthy umami flavours rather than floral or fruity ones, while still preserving a lovely textural delicacy.

110

———————— SPRING 2026