LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2025

Mint Condition from page 35

2. Position rack in centre of oven. Preheat to 325°F (163°C).

3. Knead dough a few times to soften, then roll dough on a lightly floured work surface to a circle about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Transfer dough to a 9-inch (23-cm) fluted tart pan with removeable bottom. Gently press into bottom and up sides of pan, overhanging at edges. To trim edges even with top, run a rolling pin across top of pan. Prick bottom with a fork. Freeze for 15 minutes. 4. Set tart pan on a baking sheet. Cover shell with a piece of parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake on middle rack for 20 minutes. Remove paper and weights. Continue baking until crust is dry to the touch, 14 to 16 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool completely. 5. For the mint filling, stir icing sugar with milk and extract in a medium-size bowl to combine. (Glaze should be thick but able to spread). Scrape into tart shell, gently smooth ing to fill bottom. (Layer will be thin). Freeze for 15 minutes. 6. For the ganache, place chocolates in a medium-size heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a full simmer over medium-high heat. (Watch closely so it doesn’t boil over.) Pour hot cream over chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes. Stir with a spatula until mixture is smooth and no flecks of chocolate remain. Stir in butter, working with spatula until fully melted and combined. 7. Pour chocolate ganache over mint filling and smooth out top. Refrigerate until ganache has set, at least 2 hours. (Tart can then be covered and refrigerated up to 1 day.) 8. To finish, remove ring from tart pan. Run an offset spatula gently under pastry to separate from pan base, then transfer to a serving plate. Arrange After Eight sticks overtop and/or sprin kle outer edges with Crispearls.

PEPPERMINT BARK EGGNOG In a glorious mash-up of two Yuletide treats, silky eggnog is infused with the flavours of pepper mint bark. The minty essence is boosted by a rim of crushed candy cane, and a snowy garnish of grated white chocolate gives it all the holiday feels. Avoid cheap candy canes from the dollar store, as they won’t crush as nicely.

1 candy cane, broken Honey for brushing 1 oz vodka

AFTER EIGHT CHOCOLATE TART This decadent tart is inspired by (and garnished with) After Eights, the beloved chocolate-mint confections. It features a silky-smooth ganache made with a combination of dark and milk chocolates for just the right balance. Substitut ing the percentages of chocolate can throw off the set of the ganache, so it’s important to stick to the recipe to get it just right. CHOCOLATE PÂTE SUCRÉE 11/4 cups (310 mL) all-purpose flour 3/4 cup (175 mL) icing sugar 1/3 cup (80 mL) Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt 1/2 cup (125 mL) cold, unsalted butter, cubed 1 large egg yolk 2 tbsp (30 mL) whole milk CHOCOLATE GANACHE 1 bar (100 g) 78% chocolate, preferably Lindt, finely chopped 1 bar (100 g) milk chocolate, preferably Lindt, finely chopped 2/3 cup (150 mL) heavy cream 3 tbsp (45 mL) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature After Eight sticks and/or Callebaut white chocolate Mona Lisa Crispearls to garnish 1. For the pâte sucrée, combine flour, icing sugar, cocoa powder and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter and pulse until fine crumbs form. Add egg yolk and milk, and continue blending until a dough just comes together, about 30 seconds. Shape into a disc. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. MINT FILLING 1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar 3 to 4 tsp (15 to 20 mL) whole milk 1/2 tsp (2 mL) peppermint extract

3/4 oz peppermint schnapps 1/2 oz white crème de cacao 2 oz heavy cream 1 tsp (5 mL) Simple Syrup (recipe follows) 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) pure vanilla extract 1 large very fresh egg Small piece of quality white chocolate 1. To make the rimmer, place candy cane in a small freezer bag. Press out air and seal. Using a rolling pin, lightly crush then roll until it has the texture of coarse salt. Set aside. 2. For the eggnog, place some rimmer on a saucer. Lightly brush top of rim of an 8-oz low ball glass with honey. Press glass rim into candy rimmer to coat. Place glass on counter. 3. Place vodka, schnapps, crème de cacao, cream, simple syrup and vanilla in a cocktail shaker. Crack egg into a ramekin. Check for bits of shell then add to shaker. Shake vigorously for 5 seconds. Fill three quarters with ice. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Double-strain through a fine-mesh sieve into prepared glass. Using a rasp, grate a little white chocolate over drink. Serve immediately.

Makes 1 drink

SIMPLE SYRUP Bring 1 cup (250 mL) water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add 1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar. Stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Let cool completely. If making ahead, syrup will keep well, stored in a resealable container in the fridge, for at least 2 weeks.

Serves 8

WHAT TO SERVE Forty Creek Cinnamon Bun Cream LCBO 44150, $33.95

Serving a chocolate cream liqueur seems like cocoa overkill; shift gears ever so slightly to a different but equally rich (and very Canadian) flavour spectrum.

Makes 11/2 cups

162

———————— HOLIDAY 2025