It's prime maple syrup season in Vermont right now. At Harlow's Sugar House in Putney, Vermont, that means ice chests full of saved snow (yes, actual snow instead of just crushed ice) are whipped out for the local springtime snack: Sugar on Snow. In the maple belt of New England the treat is sometimes called "leather aprons" or "leather britches" because of its leathery texture. At some sugar houses, though not Harlow's, Sugar on Snow is served with sour pickles to cut the sweetness, and saltines or plain doughnuts....
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While perusing Cook's Illustrated editor Christopher Kimball's Twitter feed, we found this video of him and his crew "sugaring" maple sap—boiling it down to syrup. (After the jump.) February through April (depending on local conditions) is the traditional season for maple syrup production in the U.S. and Canada. It's a little difficult to hear voices in the video because the sugar house's equipment is loud, but someone made sure to pump the soundtrack up—it's Kimball's band, Shady Grove. Yes, Christopher Kimball is in a bluegrass band. Who knew!...
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Before the maple syrup sogs up pancakes, it's just clear sap sitting in sap sacks. Jack Schmidling documents the process, which started last winter (sap flow needs freezing temperatures) and has now entered the boiling and jarring phases. He heats the sap until it reaches half the concentration of syrup, then cools and reduces the liquid to reach actual syrup consistency. This year, Schmidling tapped sap from 23 silver maple trees. [via Neatorama]...
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It's three of your favorite ingredients in one: bacon, maple syrup, and hard liquor! Just in time for maple syrup season, New York Magazine shares Don Lee's recipe for his bacon-infused bourbon and maple syrup cocktail served at East Village bar PDT....
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Photograph from on jmilles Flickr When it comes to sweetening a drink, many times sugar alone just won’t hack it. The current issue of Imbibe includes a short article I wrote about one of the alternative sweeteners being rediscovered by bartenders: maple syrup. Yeah, I know, many people find the idea of mixing their Log Cabin with their Grey Goose absolutely revolting, but pure maple syrup mixed with a rich brown spirit, such as bourbon, dark rum or apple brandy, is capable of bringing much more flavor and character to a drink than a spoonful of sugar ever could....
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Sizzling hot: Bay Area chefs and diners rediscover the irresistible appeal of fried chicken by Amanda Byrne: "The weird thing about chicken at Town Hall is that I couldn't sell it before," says chef-partner Mitchell Rosenthal. "Then I put this fried chicken on the menu, and now I sell upwards of 35 orders a night." Really thorough article that manages to also be mouth-watering—I'm having fried chicken for lunch today as a result! There are great tips at the end on frying chicken plus four recipes, in case you'd like to make your own, and also a selected listing of SF Bay Area restaurants that serve fried chicken. Other highlights: Marlene Sorosky Gray, on how real maple syrup isn't just...
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