LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2023

Cocktail Rewind from page 63

BLUEBERRIES, SHEET CAKE & LEMON ZABAGLIONE

6. Cut cake into eight equal-size rectangles. Arrange on plates and top each with an equal amount of zabaglione sauce and blueberries. Serves 8 WHAT TO SERVE Henry of Pelham Riesling Icewine VQA VINTAGES ESSENTIALS 430561, 375 mL, $49.95 Icewine is made from grapes that have been left on the vine to freeze. This lusciously sweet wine has bright acidity, an excellent match for the tangy elements in the recipe.

Wild Ontario blueberries can cause sticker-­ shock, but their flavour is unbeatable. An ethereally light cake and rich lemony sauce do justice to every dollar spent on those trea sures. The sheet cake here is made in a jelly roll pan, but if you don’t have one you can use a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm) baking pan—add 5 minutes to cooking time if that’s the case. For the yogurt, look for “stirred” on the label.

THE HIGH RISE This contemporary spinoff of a disco-era classic, the Tequila Sunrise, takes inspiration from the now-trendy clarified highball (made by filtering out the solids that make a cocktail opaque) and also calls for orange gin, a bold new spirit of the 2020s. 1/2 oz Chambord Royale raspberry liqueur (LCBO 111443, $47.55) 1 1/4 oz Gordon’s Sunset Orange (LCBO 30713, $31.55) 2 thinly sliced kumquats 5 oz tonic water 3 dashes Angostura bitters 1. Add the Chambord to an empty highball glass and top with four or five ice cubes. 2. Gently pour the Sunset Orange over the ice, to avoid disturbing the Chambord. Sprinkle in the kumquats. Add tonic water, again pouring slowly and carefully, to preserve layers. Add bitters. Serve with a metal straw or spoon so guests can stir before sipping. Makes 1 drink

LEMON & OLIVE OIL SHEET CAKE 3/4 tsp (4 mL) baking soda 3/4 tsp (4 mL) baking powder 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt 1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar Freshly grated zest of 1 large lemon 3/4 cup (175 mL) extra virgin olive oil 3/4 cup (175 mL) stirred yogurt 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk 1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla paste or extract 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour 1/2 cup (125 mL) medium cornmeal LEMON ZABAGLIONE SAUCE 6 egg yolks Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon 2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice 2 tbsp (30 mL) limoncello or water 1/3 cup (80 mL) sugar

MOONSHINE MARY Pre-batching your cocktail mix is a pro move that’ll save time later. After spending some time getting chummy in the fridge, the mix is cold (as it should be) and tastes less like a bunch of different condiments and more like the delicious sum of its parts. Moonshine has a vegetal flavour that works like a charm in a Mary (and in Caesars, too) and might even be a better mixer than vodka. You can also pour effortless non-alcoholic versions by leav ing the liquor out of the jug until you’re ready to assemble. 1. In a large pitcher, stir together 4 cups (1 L) tomato juice, 1/4 cup (60 mL) pepperoncini brine (or pickled jalapeño brine), 1/4 cup (60 mL) dill pickle brine, 2 tbsp (30 mL) Worcestershire sauce, 2 tsp (10 mL) Tabasco sauce and the juice of 1 medium lemon. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. 2. When ready to serve, rim several tall glasses with salt and fill with ice. Add 1 1/2 oz moonshine or white whisky to each, then top with tomato mixture. Garnish drinks with cel ery sticks, dill pickles, lemon wedges, pickled chilies or peppers and grindings of coarse black pepper. Makes 10 to 12 cocktails

4 cups (1 L) wild blueberries

Thrill of the Grill from page 70

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line bottom of a 10 x 15-inch (25 x 28-cm) jelly-roll pan with parchment. Grease sides. 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add lemon zest, olive oil, yogurt, egg, egg yolk and vanilla paste. Beat until smooth. 3. Stir in flour, then cornmeal. Scrape into pan, spread to edges with a spatula and smooth top. Bake until cake is firm to the touch and light golden around edges, 20 minutes. Remove to a rack and let cool. (Cake may be made to this point, covered and kept at room temperature for up to 2 days.) 4. A couple of hours before you plan to serve dessert, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Bring a 2-inch (5-cm) depth of water in a medium saucepan to a gentle boil. 5. In a separate medium heat-proof bowl, whisk together egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, limoncello (or water) and sugar. Set over boiling water and whisk constantly until dou bled in volume and thickened, about 8 minutes. Immediately plunge bottom of bowl into ice bath to stop cooking. Cover and hold at room temperature for up to 2 hours.

DIY SPUMONI SUNDAES First, set out your ice creams scoops, bowls or sundae glasses and spoons. Then, set out some garnishes: crumbled amaretti cookies, maraschino cherries in syrup and chopped pistachios. When you’re ready to get started, fill a cooler with ice then nestle in a tub each of chocolate, cherry and pistachio gelato or ice cream. Tuck in a can of whipped cream, and let everyone go to town—they’ll know exactly what to do!

138 FOOD & DRINK SUMMER 2023