Maple Caramel Sauce

By now you may be sensing a theme in the recipes I'm drawn to - sweet and simple. I've been wanting to find a good recipe to make maple caramel. I love caramel - sweet, sticky, the perfect addition to that bowl of ice cream - and, at last, I think it's safe to say, I've found one.

Maple Caramel

Adapted from Donna Hay

14oz Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 Cup granulated maple sugar

2 Table Spoons Corn Syrup

Place sweetened condensed milk, maple sugar and corn syrup in a heat proof bowl and mix. Place the bowl over a boiling pot of water (to create a double boiler). Cook fro 20 minutes or until the mixture has reached the desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Use immediately or store refrigerated.

The Perfect Pancake

I know I said, forget pancakes, but we do, occasionally eat pancakes.In fact, we've found an oatmeal pancake recipe, we really enjoy from The Mennonite Country-Style Recipes & Kitchen Secrets.

When I first came across the cookbook, I chuckled. Many of the recipes are things I'd never dream of cooking, but I've discovered that there are many others that are simple and with a few tweaks make amazingly great food.

This recipe for maple oatmeal pancakes is one of those recipes. Simple and hearty, these pancakes cook up beautifully every time. I often mix it up by adding shredded apple or whole wheat flour and, of course, when the recipe calls for sugar - I substitute pure granulated maple sugar.

Maple Oatmeal Pancakes
 Adapted from the cookbook Mennonite Country-Style Recipes

~ 3/4 Cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 Tbsp Granulated Maple Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 1/2 Cups Quick Oats
2 Eggs (beaten)
1 3/4 Cups Buttermilk 
1/4 Olive Oil


Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. In a smaller bowl combine mix ingredients. Then add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mixing until only moistened. Cook on a hot pan until browned on each side.

Rustic Quiche with Maple Apple Chicken Sausage

For more than a year now we've been a part of a wonderful CSA. They provide us with great vegetables and local products year round. We don't grow much wheat for flour in Vermont, but we do grow some other grains and as a result we've a pantry full of mixed grains, oats, barley, etc from the CSA. Figuring out what to do with them has been a challenge. They aren't really foods we've cooked much.

So, over the weekend when I was wondering what to make...feeling like we had a house full of food and nothing to cook...I decide to venture out and make what I'll call a "rustic quiche." - mixed grains, whole wheat flour and a little maple sugar to sweeten the crust, leftovers from the fridge for a filling  (maple apple chicken sausage, broccoli, potatoes from breakfast and a few onions), topping it all off some good Vermont cheddar cheese. The results were, well, the kind of meal that makes you feel good, full and warm.

Multi-grain Crust
Mixed Grains
Water
Whole Wheat Flour
Maple Sugar


Cook the mixed grains on simmer. One part grains to two parts water. Cook until the grains are soft and the liquid has mostly evaporated or been absorbed. You'll need to stir occasionally to prevent the grains from sticking and burning to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and add flour. I'd say about equal parts mixed grain and flour, but start slowly it may not actually be that much - continue to add flour and mix until the mixture holds a shape. Add maple sugar (I used about 1/4 cup - translates probably to roughly a quarter part). Place the mixture into a pie or desired baking dish and press until evenly distributed along the bottom and sides - about a half inch thick.

The Filling
The filling could really be anything you desire. I imagine ham and leek would be wonderful or bacon, swiss chard, and onion.The opportunities are endless. 
Eggs
Milk
Broccoli
Chicken Sausage
Potatoes
Cheddar Cheese
For this particular version it was chicken sausage, potatoes and broccoli. I mixed 8 eggs with about a cup of milk (remember I really just cook and don't measure much - so go by what feels right). Seasoned the mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.


Sliced two links of maple apple chicken sausage and lined the bottom of the crust with these. I then add some frozen broccoli. Again maybe a cup. I then poured the egg mixture over the the broccoli and sausage. I then added the pre-cooked potatoes. Distributing them evenly over the top. Finally, I topped it all with a generous amount of cheddar cheese.

The quiche cooked in 375 degrees. I pulled it out when the crust was golden and the eggs had set about 40 minutes. Served with a small side salad and a glass of red wine.

Crepes: the Perfect Vehicle for Maple Syrup

Growing up my brother and I would race to see how many crepes we could eat - five, six, seven (each) - mom and the electric frying pan struggling to keep up, my brother and I jockeying for the next one with plates puddled with maple syrup. I don't race the way I used to, but I still probably eat more crepes at one sitting than most. To me they're they perfect vehicle for maple syrup. They don't absorb the syrup,  but instead simply allow you to wrap it up leaving the flavor of the syrup pure and unmasked. Plus, with a crepe you don't waste all that stomach space on the vehicle like you would with a pancake or waffle, which well leaves more room for more crepes, and maple syrup.

Crepes rather than pancakes were the standard in house growing up. My mother always cooked them by feel just kind of throwing them together. I've never been able to get an exact recipe from her, and well now, I've fallen to the same fate as she - just kind of throwing them together. I've actually adapted her recipe a bit adding a little whiskey, which nicely complements the flavor of maple and seems to create the perfect crepe batter every time (even if you don't measure like me). 

Crepes with Maple Syrup

1 3/4 Cups Flour 

1 Tsp Baking Powder

2 Tbsp Maple Sugar

Pinch of Salt

3 Cups Milk

1 Large Eggs

 2Tbsp Whiskey

2 Tbsp Butter

Combine flour, baking powder and granulated maple sugar. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add milk, water and whiskey. Mix well.  My mother actually mixes the ingredients in her food processor. I usually do it the old fashioned way (it helps me feel a little less guilty about all the crepes I eat). Add eggs. Blend until batter is smooth, or nearly smooth.    Liberally grease a frying pan, crepe pan or griddle with  handle on medium high heat. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of batter into the pan. Swirl the batter by lifting the pan and tilting it in a circular motion. The batter should form only a thin layer across the bottom of the pan. Bubbles will form on the top of the crepe, when the bubbles have all popped the crepe is ready to flip (the crepe will also be golden brown). Flip. Cook the second side for an additional minute or two. Serve with plenty of maple syrup.  They're also good with fresh fruit, yogurt, whipped cream, ice cream, or, well, nearly any other topping you desire. Enjoy!

Autumn Harvest Stew

Autumn harvest stew is rich and sweet with the flavors of fall - apple, maple, cranberries and root vegetables. It's a wonderful meal for a cold and rainy day, which we've had a lot of here. It's perfect for simmering on the stove, in fact, it's adapted for doing just that.

My mother is an avid wood stove cook - cooking nearly every meal from September to June on the wood cook stove. She always has something simmering or baking, and who wouldn't with the stove running day and night. She carefully manages the fire - selecting the right type of wood (maple wood burns hot and long, birch quick and fast, ash and apple somewhere in between), positioning the stoves damper just so to further manage the fire (with damper wide open she gets the fire 'cranking", with it closed down she can hold the heat steady). Failure to pay care with the wood cook stove usually results in an under cooked dinner or burned dessert.

As a result, my mother has perfected several recipes as wood stove fail-safes - recipes that simmer for long periods of time with rich aromas, but need relatively little attention and are forgiving when it comes to cooking temperatures. Autumn Harvest Stew is one of those recipes.

Autumn Harvest Stew
Adapted From Rachael Ray
2.5lbs Pork Roast or Tenderloin cut into 1-2 in. cubes
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat or White Flour
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
3 Small Onions cut into quarters
3 Leeks sliced
1 Bulb of Kohlrabi cut into 1" pieces
5 Potatoes cut into 1" pieces
2 Bay Leaves
1 Tsp Allspice
2-4 Springs of Thyme
3 Tbsp Maple Sugar or 1/4 Cup Grade B Pure Maple Syrup
2 Cups Apple Cider
3 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Cup Fresh Cranberries or 
1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries 
4 Unpeeled Apples cut into 1-2" chunks

Heat a heavy bottomed pan on high heat with the olive oil (1/2 the olive oil). Place the cut pieces of pork in a resealable plastic bag (1 gallon zippered works well) along with 1/2 cup of flour. Shake bag until pork is evenly coated. Once the pan is hot add a third to half of the pork  and brown on all sides. It will take 5 to 8 minutes depending on how large your pieces are. Remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat with remaining meat until all is cooked. Set aside the pork.

Place the remaining olive oil in the pan and add onions and leeks saute until soft 3 to 5 minutes. Add potatoes and kohlrabi and cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Add bay leaves, thyme, all spice, maple sugar, apple cider and chicken broth. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate all the bits from the browning of the meat and the cooking of the veggies. Add the pork back into the pot.

Simmer the stew for at least 1 to 2 hours. 10 to 30 minutes before serving add the apples and cranberries. Serve when the apples and cranberries are soft - making sure to remember to remove the sprigs of thyme and bay leaves before serving.

Hearty Maple Corn Bread

I often have "helpers" in the kitchen and this is a recipe that works well when you find yourself with a little extra "help". It's sweet, simple and forgiving - all important characteristics when it's more than just you cooking. This moist, hearty bread is the perfect accompaniment to most any meal and always a great snack.

Hearty Maple Corn Bread
Adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook

1 Cup Coarse Cornmeal
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Baking Soda
4 Tbsp Dried Buttermilk Powder
1/3 Cup Granulated Maple Sugar
pinch of salt
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup Olive Oil, plus 1tbsp for oiling the pan
1 Cup Whole Milk

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil a baking dish (9x9 or two bread pans).

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a second bowl combine the eggs and oil. Then add the milk to the egg and oil mixture. Add the wet ingredients into the dry. Mix until just combined. Don't overmix. Pour batter into the pan and cook immediately. Remove when toothpick or knife inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Roughly 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve warm with butter or along with your favorite meal.