Several years ago I visited a certain European country where maple syrup was not part of the national menu (the country was Macedonia, but I'm not going to point fingers). Our hosts admitted that, while they appreciated visits from Vermonters, they'd also filled a kitchen cabinet with bottles of unused maple syrup. They couldn't believe how many pancakes Vermonters must eat to go through as much maple syrup as we apparently consumed.
Well. It's not about the pancakes (although they're delicious, along with waffles, crepes, and French toast).
I started to list all the places where I regularly use maple syrup. It was long. No one took notes. Today, on the eve of Maple Open House Weekend, I'm reviving that list for a simple reason: I don't want anyone to worry that they won't find a use for all the syrup they acquire while touring Vermont's sugarhouses. Or, if you're well aware of how to go through gallons of syrup, this list may come in handy for people to whom you're giving maple syrup gifts - in foreign countries or closer to home. Here we go:
- Maple syrup goes on anything served at breakfast - pancakes, yes, but also bacon, sausage, ham, porridge, biscuits, grapefruit, yogurt, granola. . . In Quebec they've been known to poach their eggs in syrup (not sap, syrup).
- Ice cream, milk shakes, panna cotta, pudding, mousse, maple cream pie - any dairy based dessert should have maple in it.
- Whipped cream - I make my whipped cream fresh, with maple syrup, and this allows any dessert to have maple in it. I even make a whipped cream, ricotta, and maple syrup dip for cookies (ginger snaps and biscotti work well).
- Frosting and icings - for the same reason as whipped cream
- Homemade BBQ sauce, ketchup, chutney, jams, jellies, and plum sauce.
- Mixed into butter or cream cheese as a spread - a dollop of maple butter in the middle of a popover fresh from the oven? Or on hot grilled cornbread? Delicious.
- Nut butters - either homemade or mixed into unsweetened natural nut butters. You'll have a better peanut butter-banana sandwich than Elvis ever imagined. Also good stuffed in a date and dipped in chocolate.
- Salad dressing - my standard salad dressing is oil, vinegar, pepper, salt, Bragg's aminos (or soy sauce) and maple syrup.
- Baked beans, chili, black bean soup, refried beans, dal, three bean salad, sweet & sour lentil salad - there may be a bean dish that isn't improved with at least a little maple syrup, but I don't know it. (Okay, I don't add maple syrup to my hummus, except when I make it with dried fava beans, when I do add some).
- Roasted winter squash, sweet potatoes, parsnips, beets, onions, turnips. I don't like turnips, but when I roast them I add maple syrup. Also, when I mash them. If you want to get really creative, mashed turnips with maple syrup is a great addition to pizza crust dough. It's true.
- Butternut bisque, pumpkin curry, red lentil / ginger / apple soup, beet soup - you've got a storage crop? You're making it into soup? Add a little maple syrup.
- Braised meat and marinades for meat (ribs must, practically by law, involve maple syrup when served in Vermont)
- Maple cured salmon
- Raita - it's not a traditional preparation of this Indian yogurt and cucumber salad, but try adding shredded apple and maple syrup (I got that idea from the fabulous Maple Syrup Cookbook by Ken Haedrich).
- Most things with curry powder, not just raita.
- As a glaze to brush on baked goods - try melting together 3 Tb butter, 1 Tb mustard and 2 Tb maple syrup (add 1/8 tsp salt if the butter is unsalted) and brush on on whole wheat rolls or homemade soft pretzels.
- As a glaze on chicken
- In baking (which we already have a blog post about)
- I do not personally add maple syrup (or any sweetener) to my coffee, tea, or cocktails - but I understand that other people enjoy it.
And that's just the list of regular maple syrup use in my kitchen, not the fancy stuff like Jicama, Orange and Grape Salad (again from Ken Haedrich) or the extravagant Baked Vermont dessert that takes a Baked Alaska concept to a new place (from Gesine Bullock-Prado, her site is so beautiful, just go and browse). And that's only the syrup - that doesn't include maple sugar, maple cream, maple candies or any of the other maple specialty products I have on hand, which include hot sauce, ice cream, pork spice rub, maple-pepper, maple-filled truffles, and multiple maple spirits. If I really looked, I'd probably find more.
The conclusion here: you will never run out of uses for maple syrup. And, frankly, my stocks are getting low, it's time to do something about that. . .
Helen Labun Jordan writes about food, agriculture, and other topics from Montpelier, VT. Want more ideas about touring Vermont sugar houses? Check out her article on maple and the taste of place from the Spring 2011 issue of Vermont's Local Banquet.
