LCBO Food & Drink Winter 2017

PI STACHIO AND RASPBERRY FINANCIERS Classic little tea cakes topped with a rich white chocolate cream… And one bite is all you need. Well, there will be plenty if you insist on more than one bite. I like to use a Silpat mould with dome-shaped cavities. It makes for a welcome change from the more typical mini muffin tin. The batter and white chocolate cream should be prepared a day in advance, with baking, whipping and decorat- ing all done on the day of serving. FINANCIERS ¼ cup (60 mL) unsalted butter 1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar ⅓ cup (80 mL) unsalted pistachios ¼ cup plus 1 tbsp (75 mL) all-purpose flour ¼ tsp (1 mL) baking powder 3 large egg whites About 1 cup (250 mL) frozen raspberries WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM 4 oz (125 g) white chocolate, chopped into small pieces 1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream Fresh raspberries, pistachios and white chocolate shavings for garnish 1 Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and continue cooking until the butter foams, turns golden brown and has a nut-like fragrance. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. 2 Place the icing sugar and pistachios in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process until the nuts are very finely ground. 3 In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder, then add the icing-sugar- ground-nut mixture and whisk to combine. 4 In a small bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are foamy. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and fold in the egg whites and brown butter. Cover the mixture and chill overnight. 5 For the white chocolate cream, place the chopped white chocolate in a medium bowl and the cream in a saucepan. Bring the cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate. Allow the mixture to sit for 1 minute, then stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth. Chill overnight. 6 Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).

7 If using a mini muffin tin, lightly grease and flour the moulds. If using a Silpat mould, place it on a baking sheet. Fill each cavity about three-quarters full with the batter. Insert a frozen raspberry into each mould. 8 Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until slightly mounded on top and golden brown around the edges. Cool on a wire rack then remove from mould. (The financiers are best the day they are made, but can be stored in a sealed con- tainer, at room temperature, for up to 1 day.) 9 In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the white choco- late cream to stiff peaks. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe a decora- tive mound onto each financier. Garnish with a fresh raspberry, ½ a pistachio nut and white chocolate shavings. Makes about 25 mini Financiers WHAT TO SERVE Osborne Santa Maria Cream Sherry LCBO 31120 $13.10 Sweet sherry is a brilliant pairing for cakes. Nutty and candied orange flavours elevate and enhance the fresh fruit flavours of the financier. Chambord Royale LCBO 111443 $40.00 In this pairing, Chambord liqueur builds on the rasp- berry component of the dish with the exotic and heady aromas of black raspberry. ORANGE AND VANI LLA ICE CREAM CAKE Think Creamsicle—that frozen treat that so refreshingly combines the flavours of orange and vanilla. For this riff on the combo, a light chiffon cake gets topped with a smooth semi- freddo, naturally flavoured with orange and an aromatic vanilla bean. Adding a few drops of orange food colouring gives this layer a nice hit of colour but is optional. The crumble topping adds a welcome crunch.

SYRUP 2 tbsp (30 mL) sugar 2 tbsp (30 mL) water 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

ORANGE VANILLA SEMIFREDDO ½ cup (125 mL) whipping cream Finely grated zest of 1 orange 1 vanilla bean 1 egg separated 3 tbsp (45 mL) sugar 1 tbsp (15 mL) orange juice 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract A few drops of orange food colouring (optional)

CRUMBLE 1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar 1 tbsp (15 mL) brown sugar 4 tsp (20 mL) toasted wheat germ 3 tbsp (45 mL) rolled oats 2 tbsp (30 mL) all-purpose flour 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter Icing sugar for garnish Fresh orange segments for serving

1 For the chiffon cake, place the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line the bottom of a 6-inch (15‑cm) round cake pan with parchment paper; set aside. 2 Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Whisk in 5 tbsp (75 mL) of the sugar, reserving the last tbsp (15 mL). 3 In another bowl, combine the oil, orange juice, egg yolks, vanilla and orange zest. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. 4 In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until frothy. Add the cream of tar- tar and continue beating to soft mounds. Add the reserved tbsp (15 mL) of sugar gradually, and continue beating to medium peaks. 5 Fold the egg whites into the flour-and-yolk mixture just to combine. Transfer to the pre- pared pan and bake 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and springy to the touch. Cool on a wire rack then turn out of the pan. (The cake can be baked a day in advance, wrapped and stored at room temperature.) 6 For the vanilla syrup, combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Set aside to cool.

ORANGE CHIFFON CAKE ½ cup (125 mL) sifted cake flour ½ tsp (2 mL) baking powder 6 tbsp (90 mL) sugar 2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil 3 tbsp (45 mL) orange juice 2 eggs, separated ¼ tsp (1 mL) vanilla extract Finely grated zest of 1 small orange ⅛ tsp (0.5 mL) cream of tartar

88  FOOD & DRI NK WINTER 2017