Maple syrup...only for pancakes?
My preferred topping for pancakes, waffles & french toast is warm pure maple syrup. Otherwise, rarely add maple syrup to other foods. How do you use maple syrup...on biscuits, ice cream, cereal, pies, baked beans, sweet potatoes...? What's the best brand of maple syrup?
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27 Comments:
We do not care for maple syrup so much. usually make a syrup of warm honey and lemon or orange juice/zest. If I have fresh berries I will cook them down and add some zest to them and make a nice coulis.
Often the berries are so sweet they do not need sugar at all.
I do however keep maple syrup on hand for those who want it and I think Trader Joes has the cleanest flavored maple syrup for the best price. It is pure.
JerzeeTomato at 9:49AM on 01/01/08
I love the flavor of maple and so we buy grade B -- it has the most intense flavor. I just glazed a ham with it last night and I use it in my cornbread and oatmeal scones.
I typically buy the WholeFoods 365 brand of maple in the biggest jug they carry.
Happy New Year to all of my Serious Eats friends!
Dominic
the zen kitchen
dvchurch at 10:03AM on 01/01/08
Yes, Grade B is definitely the way to go; more flavor for fewer calories. Use maple syrup and mustard as a glaze for salmon or chicken that's quickly roasted. And in a mixture of softly whipped cream and sour cream, it adds a mysterious note that works with something like nut or fruit tarts, as a garnish. I'm not so crazy about it with chocolate desserts, or lemon, but it works well many other places.
lemons at 10:19AM on 01/01/08
Maple syrup is a necessity in our house. I put in on my oatmeal in the morning. I also make a maple vinaigrette for salads, and this popcorn for snacks: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/108508 (not exactly healthy, but very good!).
mainegirl at 10:36AM on 01/01/08
I put it on my oatmeal too! And mix some in with the eggs & milk when making bread pudding.
NanaJoie at 11:49AM on 01/01/08
I'll add maple syrup to everything and anything! I know someone how makes it at his farm - so it's nice when I can get it straight from there.
Lilartist at 11:59AM on 01/01/08
Maple syrup is my go-to sweetener when I need one in my wild game cookery. It is a total natural: Deer live among maples, I am serving deer and need a pan jus...it can be as easy as the fond, some light red wine (sangiovese, for example), a smidge of venison stock (yes, I make quite a lot of it - beef stock is just fine, though), cook it down, then add a tablespoon of maple syrup and mount with sweet butter.
I think nothing sweetens a North American meal (salmon, squash, bison, sweet potatoes, shad, venison, etc) better than a North American maple syrup. For the same reason, I use a lot of Cretan thyme honey in my Greek cooking...
Oh, and never ever forget maple syrup ice cream! Dee-licious!
HunterAnglerGardenerCook at 12:30PM on 01/01/08
I braise pork in a mixture of maple syrup, cider vinear, onion and cayenne. It's a nice sweet/sour/spicy combo.
Tellicherry at 12:47PM on 01/01/08
As Canadians we must use our national syrup! Haha! Seriously though the man and I are addicted to maple ice cream with chunks of maple sugar (i just finished a bowl). We use the syrup to: marinate pork or salmon, cook sliced ham in, make salad dressings, sweeten oatmeal, sweeten/flavour coffee, etc. Love it!
lexophile at 1:15PM on 01/01/08
I like Grade B as well, but since moving to Michigan I can only find Grade A. I roast Brussel Sprouts, using maple syrup and olive oil (2 tbsp syrup to 3 tbsp oil, with salt and pepper) and everyone (even my picky kids) loves them.
Mares at 2:25PM on 01/01/08
Thanks for sharing your maple syrup uses & linking recipes! I like the idea of combining eggs, milk & maple syrup...I'll try this next time I make french toast. lemons recommendation of whipped cream/sour cream just might taste pretty darn good on a walnut pie!
Plan to look for a grade B syrup. No TJ's within 100 miles but do have a Fresh Market here.
When used in baking, does maple syrup = same liquid, as say honey?
JEP at 2:28PM on 01/01/08
As kids we use to always put maple syrup on our white rice ~ even when having chop suey.
My brother makes some pretty wicked maple syrup, it's always a welcome Christmas gift.
I have a Harvest Dijon Chicken recipe that uses syrup with Dijon. It's a favorite fall dish here.
windjunkie at 5:38PM on 01/01/08
i make my own granola and flavor it with grade b.
i love granulated maple sugar and walnuts on top of yogurt.
i also substitute some maple syrup for corn syrup when i make pecan pie.
cybercita at 9:05PM on 01/01/08
i've heard that 'sugar on snow' is a pretty popular (albeit strange) winter treat in vermont using maple syrup..
here's a recipe:
http://www.vtliving.com/maple/sugaronsnow.shtml
maple and sour pickles? i'm sold.
goodbyeohio at 8:39AM on 01/02/08
Mmmm snow taffy is one of my fondest childhood memories. We always made syrup so we use it in everything: sweet rolls, sweet potatoes, ice cream, on cheerios, in brines, bbq sauces, most anywhere you would use brown sugar. I'm not a baker though so I don't substitute when baking. If you can find maple cream, this is a great spread, especially on warm fried bread.
whippingwater at 9:33AM on 01/02/08
Maple sugar (granulated) is amazing in apple pie in lieu (or cut half and half with) brown sugar.
I'm Canadian too and there's no way I'd make a ham, french toast, granola without maple syrup. I have access to fresh stuff myself and use it a lot. My children however, prefer to the cheapo store syrup on pancakes. All the more of the good stuff for me.
Growing up, my mom referred to maple syrup as liquid gold.
Maureen at 9:51AM on 01/02/08
I used to buy grade B at health food stores before TJ's and Wild Oats began carrying it; try there.
lemons at 10:28AM on 01/02/08
I love rich, thick, deeply flavored Grade B organic, which we get pretty cheaply in half-gallon jugs at the Lebanon food co-op in New Hampshire when we visit my in-laws, who live on the Vermont/New Hampshire border.
It's great on all the usual suspects, of course -- can't imagine pancakes, waffles, french toast etc. without it. I also love it in any apple dish or confection, from pie to cake to crumble. Fantastic to drizzle it on sauteed apples and then use them to top steel-cut Scotch oatmeal for breakfast. I use it in pecan pie too, and I think maple-walnut pie would have to be pretty wonderful, though I haven't tried it yet.
A very light touch is delicious in savory dishes, too. I used Vermont maple breakfast sausage in spaghetti sauce recently just because it was the only sausage I had in the freezer. It made a fabulous sauce, and is now on request here at home. I also love it in a brine for pork chops or pork tenderloin, with lots of garlic and rosemary. It plays well against those savory counterpoints, adding almost a smoky note.
Julie at 10:38AM on 01/02/08
grade B no doubt.iI like stopping at a roadside place in New England and picking some up. i think maple goes really well w/ soy and other asian flavors and often throw it in something like a ginger/soy marinade or dip.
coolname at 11:33AM on 01/02/08
Cut a fresh pineapple into bite-sized pieces and drizzle a little bit on each. Let them macerate in a sealed container in the fridge for an hour or so. The maple flavor is very subtle and what you are left with is the sweetest/juiciest pineapple you ever tasted. That is, unless you've eaten one freshly harvested when fully ripe. I did this more back in the days of not-so-good fresh pineapple. These days they seem to be much better, but the maple syrup trick still improves them.
grampart at 2:08PM on 01/02/08
Grade B all the way! You can get it online too:
http://www.piecesofvermont.com/maple-syrup.html
I always use either maple syrup or honey in any recipe that calls for corn syrup. Also love to drizzle grade B maple on uncured turkey bacon, sprinkle it with some fresh pepper and roast it in the oven at 450ºF for about 10 minutes (turn it over halfway through). It also makes a mean maple-walnut pie. Yum yum! And it has such a great flavor, a little goes a long way.
CookiePie at 2:40PM on 01/02/08
Maple syrup and butter with acorn or butternut squash is wonderful.
Colorado Jim at 3:34PM on 01/02/08
I'll second that Colorado Jim... I like to throw on a few toasted pecans just before serving!
LoCo at 3:44PM on 01/02/08
I find maple syrup is especially good on vanilla ice-cream with raspberries on top.
laura dot at 8:22PM on 01/02/08
Maple syrup is a component of my baste for grilled sweet potato slices. I'm also a fan of it on butternut squash. A tiny cup of heated real maple syrup goes so much further than that dyed corn syrup with maple flavoring kids use on pancakes.
therealchiffonade at 5:07AM on 01/03/08
I use (local Maine Dark Amber) maple syrup in just about anything I can think of.
If you like sugar in your coffee, try maple syrup instead.
Use it to replace some or all of the sugar in cookies and other baked goods like cornbread.
It's great on roasted squash and as a glaze for pork.
You can Google for suggested substitutions for using maple syrup in place of sugar in baked goods, but I usually use it cup-for-cup, and add a little more of the dry ingredients to compensate for the added liquid.
janjan at 9:15AM on 01/03/08
I make these maple glazed vanilla carrots. I got the recipe originally from my dear friend, Martha Stewart... They are delicious.
And I also use it to sweeten my strawberries in my strawberry kanten recipe.
Madelyn
KarmaFree Cooking
MadelynRodriguez at 4:56PM on 01/03/08