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Hot Takes on Summer Classics

For a fun foray outside of your comfort zone, we’ve put together a casual guide to elevating warm weather fare. From hot dog toppings to a new way to cook corn plus homemade soft serve, we've put together tips, techniques and recipes to give alfresco dining a major upgrade.


Upgrade Your Hot Dogs

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King of Denmark

Take a trip to Copenhagen this summer by turning your barbecue into a Danish hot dog stand. While Denmark’s signature red links (rød pølser) are hard to find here, our Danish Hot Dog has homemade rémoulade, quick pickles and fried onions to transform any wiener into a Scandinavian delicacy.

 

Take a Bath

One of the best ways to cook a hot dog is in a beer bath — it plumps it up and tames the salt. Empty 1 can (473 to 500 mL) lager per 4 franks into a sauce-pan that fits them snuggly. Bring to a boil while skimming and discarding foam. Add dogs and lower heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 4 minutes, cover and remove from heat — they’ll stay hot while you prepare the buns and top.

That’s a Wrap

To double down on the carnivorous experience, try wrapping your next hot dog in bacon. First prick the dogs all over with a toothpick, then boil for 4 minutes. Drain, dry and wrap each with a bacon slice in a spiral so the bacon ends align on the same side. With bacon ends down, insert two toothpicks top down without going through bottom at either end. Place in a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Remove toothpicks. Cook, turning often, until well-browned, about 8 minutes mores.


Pizza 101

 

Romancing the Stone

Grilling pizza directly on the grate is challenging and rarely yields a restaurant-quality pie. There is a simple solution: a pizza stone. Available in a range of shapes and sizes, pizza stones retain heat evenly, ensuring a beautifully crisp crust.

White Gold

Add bianca-style pizzas to your repertoire with our No‑Cook Scallion White Sauce. It comes together in minutes with just a short whirl in the food processor, providing a blanc canvasfor a wide range of pizzas topped with everything from grilled mushrooms to corn and pancetta.

 

 

 

 

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Seasonal Slice

The best pizzas are made with the best ingredients, so take advantage of local produce and try out one of these seasonal slices:

 

Spicy Eggplant

Charred Tomatoes
Roasted Eggplant
Mozzarella
Finger Chilies
Breadcrumbs
Parsley

Zucchini Bianco

Scallion White Sauce
Zucchini Rounds
Ricotta
Zucchini Blossoms
Hot Honey
Basil

Summer Mushroom

Roasted Garlic
Olive Oil
Sautéed Chanterelles
Stracciatella
Speck
Arugula
Lemon juice


Chicken Tips

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Better Half

The next time you want to grill chickens, try halving them first. You’ll get the same even cooking as a spatchcocked bird, but without the struggle of manoeuvring a larger piece of meat around the ’cue. And by grilling two birds at once, you can depend on leftovers.
Try it out in our Grilled Half Chickens with Mezcal BBQ Sauce.

Side Deal

Why not take advantage of an already hot grill, and cook up some quick sides while the chicken is resting? To complement the Mexican flavours, grill eggplant slices and top with shaved red onion, crumbled queso and lots of fresh mint. Or char fennel wedges and dress them in tangy bottled salsa verde and chopped cilantro.

 

I Feel Like Chicken Tonight

The advantage of grilling two birds at once is leftovers. Here are two tasty ideas for cold Grilled Chicken Halves with Mezcal BBQ Sauce.

Tortas

Split a crusty roll and slather the bottom with guacamole. Layer with thickly sliced chicken breast, ripe tomatoes and shaved romaine. Drizzle with Italian dressing, add the top and pass the napkins.

Pasta Salad

For a pasta salad with Latin flair, toss cooked farfalle with shredded chicken, canned black beans and halved cherry tomatoes. Dress with olive oil, lime juice, garlic, oregano, cumin and chipotle powder.


Rethink Corn

Torch Song

For juicy corn with an even char, Food Editor Eric Vellend has a foolproof method — no barbecue required. Boil corn for exactly 5 minutes in unsalted water then transfer to a flameproof baking pan set under the oven hood. With a culinary blowtorch in one hand and tongs in the other, char and turn corn. Enjoy immediately or cool and strip for salt.

Butter Me Up

Instead of plain butter, why not put out flavoured compound butters with your next corn boil? If you like heat, try our three-ingredient, deeply flavoured Smoky Poblano Butter for Corn. There’s also Bagna Cauda Butter, punched up with capers and anchovies, which temper the corn’s sweetness.

Rib Fest

Since going viral in recent years, corn “ribs” have become a mainstay of summer cooking, and for good reason: when cooked, the ribs curl back, creating crispy edges and lots of crevices to catch sauce. To make them, trim the top and bottom of a shucked cob by 1/4 inch (5 mm). Stand it upright then very carefully cut down through centre of cob with a large chef’s knife. Cut each half again lengthwise to create four quarters. Toss with a little oil, salt and your favourite spice mix before grilling over medium-high heat until lightly charred. To finish, toss with butter, barbecue sauce or hot honey.

 

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Street Value

While Mexican street corn (aka elotes) has the monopoly on dressed-up cobs, the basic technique of grill, brush and coat can incorporate a wide range of fun flavours. Here are a few ideas:

 

Flamin' Ranch

Ranch dressing
Crushed spicy tortilla chips
Finely grated lime zest

Umami Rich

Miso butter
Kelp granules
Bacon bits
Chopped chives

Greek

Yogurt mixed with garlic
Dried oregano
Crumbled feta
Chopped fresh dill


Soft Serve Suggestions

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DIY Soft Serve

Soft serve ice cream is all the rage, but did you know you can make it at home? Our No-Churn Vanilla Soft Serve is a breeze and, with a piping bag and star tip, you can get the same look as your local truck.

 

Sundae Best

While nuts and sprinkles are all fine and dandy, how about a few unexpected toppings at your next sundae bar:

Skor bits
Toasted coconut
Crushed Sesame Snaps
Plain corn chips
Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
Ground coffee
Pop Rocks

’Which Combo

If you use store-bought cookies — the chewy bakery cookies, not the crisper packaged ones — ice cream sandwiches are a breeze. Here are a few ideas:

Ginger cookies with rum raisin ice cream

Dark chocolate cookies with mint chip ice cream

Chocolate chunk cookies with cherry-chocolate ice cream