LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2025

WINTER SALAD SPEARS Beyond the crudité platter, it can be challenging to get your veggies in at a cocktail party. Salad spears to the rescue! We’ve used Belgian endive leaves as a vessel and filled them with two fresh, crunchy salads: one with radicchio and beets; the other with celery and apple. You could also just run with the idea and fill them with store bought salads such as tabbouleh, grain or bean. PURPLE SALAD 1 tsp (5 mL) finely chopped shallot 1 tbsp (15 mL) red wine vinegar 1 tbsp (15 mL) extra virgin olive oil 3/4 cup (175 mL) chopped cooked beets, cut into small thin triangles 1 cup (250 mL) packed chopped radicchio, cut into 3/4-inch (2-cm) pieces GREEN SALAD 1 tsp (5 mL) finely chopped shallot 1 tbsp (15 mL) cider vinegar 1 tbsp (15 mL) walnut or sunflower oil 1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped Granny Smith apple, cut into small thin triangles 1/2 cup (125 mL) packed chopped Belgian endive, cut into 3/4-inch (2-cm) pieces 1/2 cup (125 mL) thinly sliced celery heart 1/4 cup (60 mL) lightly packed pale celery leaves TO SERVE Salt to taste 24 large Belgian endive leaves Tarragon leaves and small dill fronds to garnish 1. For the purple salad, combine shallot and vinegar in a medium-size bowl. Let stand 15 minutes. Stir in olive oil then beets. Place a piece of plastic wrap over beets and radicchio on top of plastic, but do not mix. Cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours. 2. For the green salad, combine shallot and vine gar in a medium-size bowl. Let stand 15 minutes. Stir in oil then apples. Place a piece of plastic wrap over apples and place chopped endive, celery hearts and leaves on top of plastic, but do not mix. Cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours. 3. When ready to serve, remove plastic wrap from salads. Season both salads with salt then mix. Spoon salads separately into endive spears. Garnish purple salad with tarragon and green salad with dill. Serve immediately as a passed hors d’oeuvre—they can’t sit around too long or the endive will go soggy.

2. For the quinoa crab cakes, rinse quinoa in a sieve. Drain for 5 minutes and place in a medium-size saucepan with water and a healthy pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a baking dish. Cool completely. 3. Transfer crab to a large baking sheet. Spread out and discard any stray bits of shell. Blot with paper towel and cut any large pieces in half. Set aside. 4. Place cooled quinoa in a large mixing bowl. Add celery, parsley, Old Bay, pepper and eggs. Mix thoroughly with a silicone spatula. Fold in crab and panko, working gently to minimize breaking up crabmeat. 5. Form loose, scant 1/4-cup (60-mL) portions into patties about 13/4 inches (5 cm) in diameter and 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick. (First squish mixture to pack, then hold in a circle formed by the thumb and index finger of one hand and use the fingers and thumb of the other hand to flatten into patties.) Place cakes in a single layer in large, shallow, airtight containers lined with parch ment. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 day. 6. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 200°F (93°C). Place a cooling rack over a large, rimmed baking sheet. 7. Working in three batches, heat a film of oil in a large, nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, reduce heat to medium and cook crab cakes until crispy and golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. (Be gentle flip ping—a small, offset spatula works best—and add more oil if pan seems dry.) Place cooked crab cakes on baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Repeat until crab cakes are all cooked. (Crab cakes can be cooked, cooled, transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated up to 1 day. To reheat, bake in a 350°F/177°C oven until hot, about 10 minutes.) 8. Transfer hot crab cakes to a serving platter. If they need salt, season with a tiny pinch of flaky salt. Serve with Old Bay mayo in a small bowl for dipping and lemon wedges.

CRISPY QUINOA CRAB CAKES WITH OLD BAY MAYO

While this recipe will probably get me banned from the state of Maryland, adding quinoa to crab cakes extends an expensive ingredient and produces an unbelievably crispy crust. Have patience with the forming process—it’s finicky, but it’s worth the effort for the delicate interior texture. Pasteurized crabmeat is sold in the refrigerator case at better fish counters. OLD BAY MAYO 2/3 cup (150 mL) mayonnaise 11/2 tsp (7 mL) finely grated lemon zest 1 tsp (5 mL) fresh lemon juice 1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard 1 tsp (5 mL) hot sauce 1/2 tsp (2 mL) Old Bay seasoning QUINOA CRAB CAKES 2/3 cup (150 mL) white quinoa, rinsed 1 cup + 3 tbsp (250 + 45 mL) water Salt to taste 1 lb (455 g) pasteurized crab claw meat 1/4 cup (60 mL) finely chopped celery 2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped parsley 1 tsp (5 mL) Old Bay seasoning Freshly ground pepper to taste 3 large eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 cup (125 mL) panko bread crumbs Canola oil for frying Flaky sea salt to finish (optional) Lemon wedges for serving 1. For the Old Bay mayo, whisk all ingredients in a mixing bowl until combined. Transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate up to 5 days.

Makes 24 spears

Makes 32 crab cakes

155

HOLIDAY 2025 ————————