LCBO Food & Drink Winter 2017

TOMMY’S KEYS Key lime juice stars in this stripped-down variation on a Margarita. Created by Julio Bermejo in the ’80s at Tommy’s, his family’s restaurant in San Francisco that is still going strong today. It’s sweetened with agave syrup, which is a natural with the tequila and lends a hint of smokiness to the refreshing drink.

1 slice fresh ginger 2 oz brandy or Cognac Blood orange slices 1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Boil until volume has reduced to about 2 tbsp (30 mL), about 8 minutes, swirling saucepan occasionally toward end of cooking time. 3 Reduce heat to low. Using a hand whisk, whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, making sure each piece of butter is incorporated and sauce is creamy before adding next piece. 4 Increase heat to high. Cook, whisking con- stantly, just until sauce simmers and bubbles appear around edge. (This final simmer “sets” the emulsion that makes beurre blanc creamy.) 5 Immediately remove saucepan from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If serv- ing immediately, whisk in flavourings of your choice. 6 To make ahead, set a bowl over a saucepan of hot water. Pour beurre blanc into bowl and set aside (off the heat) for up to 1 hour, whisk- ing occasionally. Whisk in flavourings just be- fore serving. Makes about 1 cup (250 mL) NOUVEAU BEURRE ROUGE Follow recipe for Nouveau Beurre Blanc, omit- ting vinegar and replacing white sparkling wine with ½ cup (125 mL) red sparkling wine. Just before serving, whisk in 1 tsp (5 mL) tomato paste, along with flavourings of your choice. Makes about 1 cup (250 mL) FLAVOURING OPTIONS Whisk 2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped parsley and 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla into beurre blanc to serve with seared scallops or steamed lobster or shrimp. Whisk 1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped dill and ½ tsp (2 mL) finely grated lemon zest into beurre blanc to serve with grilled or fried fish, or crab cakes. Whisk 2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped chives or mint into beurre blanc to serve with baked potatoes, steamed asparagus, green beans or carrots. Whisk 1 tbsp (15 mL) each grainy mustard and finely chopped tarragon into beurre blanc to serve with grilled chicken. Whisk 1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped rosemary or thyme into beurre rouge to serve with roast rack of lamb or prime rib or grilled steak.

2 Stud orange evenly with cloves. Place on small parchment-lined baking dish. Bake 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, cut into 4 wedges using a sharp serrated knife. 3 In a medium saucepan, combine port, water, sugar, cinnamon, star anise, ginger and baked orange wedges. Place over medium heat. Stir occasionally until it just starts to bubble. Re- move from heat and add brandy or Cognac. 4 Serve directly from pot or warmed punch bowl in small glass mugs or teacups, garnish with orange slices. Serves 6 to 8

2 oz 100% agave blanco tequila 1 oz strained fresh key lime juice ½ oz agave syrup Key lime wheel

1 Place tequila, key lime juice and agave syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill three-quarters with ice. Shake until ice cold, about 10 sec- onds. Strain into a chilled lowball glass filled with ice. Garnish with key lime wheel. Makes 1 drink

a splash of WINE from page 9

NOUVEAU BEURRE BLANC A good beurre blanc is rich and creamy with the consistency of pouring custard. The se- cret of success? Use very cold butter, add it gradually and whisk like crazy. And, contrary to what some serious cookbooks instruct, beurre blanc can be prepped up to an hour ahead if you keep it warm, not hot. We like the texture the shallots give the sauce, but if you prefer a super-smooth beurre blanc, simply sieve it before adding the flavour- ings. See some of the many ways to flavour a beurre blanc or its kissing cousin, beurre rouge, after this recipe. 1 cup (250 mL) chilled unsalted butter ¼ cup (60 mL) white sparkling wine ¼ cup (60 mL) white wine vinegar 2 tbsp (30 mL) very finely minced shallot Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste Flavourings of your choice, if desired 1 Cut butter into 32 even-sized pieces. Ar- range pieces in a single layer, not touching each other, on a large plate. Put plate in fridge to chill further. 2 In a small, heavy saucepan, combine spar- kling wine, vinegar and shallot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium.

CANDIED KUMQUATS & SYRUP While kumquats are delicious raw, poaching them in sugar syrup tempers their acidic bite. You can use the syrup to sweeten cocktails and the candied slices to garnish them. This preserve is also delicious spooned over most chocolate desserts. 12 kumquats 1 cup (250 mL) water ½ cup (125 mL) granulated sugar 1 Slice kumquats into ¼-inch-thick (5-mm) rounds. Using a skewer, poke out seeds. 2 In a small saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking to dissolve sugar. Add kumquat slices. Reduce heat to maintain gentle simmer. Cook, stir- ring occasionally, until kumquats are tender, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely. 3 Transfer kumquats and their syrup to a glass jar with lid. Refrigerate up to 1 month. Makes about 60 slices

FOOD & DRI NK WINTER 2017 91