LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2025

THE UPPER CRUST

Breakfast Sandwich Focaccia All the breakfast sandwich ingredients baked into one easy to-serve focaccia! It will be the superstar of your next brunch. If you’re making this for early in the day, see TIP for make-ahead instructions. You will need eight 21/2-oz (70-g) oven-safe ramekins to make the wells for the eggs. 6 slices bacon, about 6 oz (170 g) 1 recipe (Anything But) Basic Focaccia, p. 147, completed through Step 3 11/2 cups (375 mL) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil 8 large eggs Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced 1 tbsp (15 mL) spicy chili crisp 1 green onion, thinly sliced 2. Line a baking sheet with parch ment and lay bacon on it. Bake until bacon is crisp, about 18 min utes. Using tongs, transfer bacon to a paper towel–lined plate. Cool then chop into 1/2-inch (1-cm) pieces. Pour cooled fat into a bowl and set aside. 3. Wet your hand and use it to loosen dough from sides of bowl. Sprinkle dough with 1 cup (250 mL) cheddar and most of bacon, reserving a little for top. Stretch and fold dough until bacon and cheese are fully covered and dough has tightened up into a ball, four to six times. Tip dough into prepared pan. Fold dough into thirds (like a letter) then turn over and rotate so seam is on bottom and rectangle fits pan. Put your hands under dough at corners and lightly stretch to fill pan as much as possible. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and let stand until very puffy and bubbly, about 11/2 hours. 1. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).

recipe). The next morning, remove from fridge, do a set of stretch and folds and let stand in a warm spot for 30 minutes before incorpo rating the bacon and cheese and tipping into the oiled pan. Time in the fridge also helps with the gluten development so you can skip a set of stretch-and-folds. The main issue with making the dough ahead is giving the dough enough time to warm up, so make sure dough is in a warm spot to sit. WHAT TO SERVE Jackson-Triggs Sparkling Reserve VQA LCBO 217679, $17.95 There are good reasons why bubbly and brunch go so well together. A tangy sparkling wine like this cuts through the egg-and-bacon richness.

(125 mL) cheddar and reserved bacon. Bake until focaccia is nicely browned and eggs are cooked to desired doneness, 8 to 12 minutes. (The eggs will cook at a slightly dif ferent rate depending on depth of wells, so keep a close eye on them for last few minutes of cooking.) 7. Carefully remove focaccia from pan. Season eggs with salt and pepper and garnish with avocado slices arranged in fan shapes, a drizzle of chili crisp and green onion. Serve warm.

4. Place rack in bottom third of oven. Preheat to 450°F (232°C).

5. Drizzle dough with 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil. Use your fingers to press down and dimple dough all over—it should now look super bubbly. Brush outsides of eight 21/2‑oz (70-g) oven-safe ramekins with reserved bacon fat. Spacing them evenly, press them down deeply into dough. Carefully pour about 1 tbsp (15 mL) water into each ramekin, then bake focaccia in bottom third of oven until dough is set and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. 6. Remove focaccia from oven. Use tongs to remove ramekins carefully from dough, then crack an egg into each well. Brush top of dough with a little extra bacon fat and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup

Serves 8

TIP If you need to serve this earlier in the day, you can start by making the dough the night before—cover and refrigerate it after incorpo rating the olive oil (Step 1 of Basic

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———————— HOLIDAY 2025