Smitten Kitchen – A home cooking weblog from a tiny kitchen in New York City known for beautiful photographs.  Her recipe is chocked full of delicious dishes with maple syrup as a core ingredient.

Orangette – Written by author/Bon Appetit columnist Molly Wizenberg, the blog is one of the older food blogs (started in 2004), and focuses on Molly’s life in and out of the kitchen (hers and the one she runs with her maple syrup loving husband Brandon at the popular pizzeria Delancey in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle).

A delicious maple syrup based recipe from the early days.

101 Kitchen – Heidi Swanson started her blog in 2003 when she looked up at her huge cookbook collection one afternoon and realized that instead of exploring the different books in her collection – she was cooking the same recipes over and over.. Her blog is full of healthy vegetarian recipes and an occasional post (always accompanied by beautiful photography) of her travels. Heidi organized a list of her favorite sweeteners, and maple sugar and maple syrup are both on it.

Top photo Smitten Kitchen, bottom photo Orangette.

Smithsonian.com, the Smithsonian Institution’s blog, posted an interesting write-up today on Presidential Food Facts. John Adams drank beer or hard cider for breakfast, Abraham Lincoln loved gingerbread cookies, and Thomas Jefferson (during his tenure as Secretary of State in the George Washington administration) stocked his cellar in Philadelphia (then our capital) with maple sugar.

Influenced by Dr. Benjamin Rush’s enthusiasm for the manufacture of domestic (maple) sugar production as an alternative to cultivating cane sugar made by the slaves in the West Indies, Jefferson adapted his associate’s cause and according to several reports even tried to create (maple) sugar plantations in Virginia. At least one sugar maple was planted (or survived) at Monticello.

• 8 Tbsp butter, softened
• 3/4 cup Coombs Family Farms pure maple syrup
• 2 medium Golden Delicious apples, cored, unpeeled and cut into 1?2 inch rings
• 1/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger (optional)
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup maple sugar
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup milk
• Whipped cream or crème fraiche

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Melt 4 Tbsp butter in an 8 or 9-inch, low-sided skillet. Add maple syrup to melted butter. Simmer over medium heat for five minutes. Remove from heat (if using ginger, add to mixture at this time). Arrange apple slices decoratively in the skillet, as close together as possible without overcrowding. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt In a large bowl, cream the remaining 4 T butter with 1/2 cup sugar and egg yolks until light and fluffy. Add milk and dry ingredients, alternately, to the butter mixture.

In a clean bowl beat egg whites until stiff; beat in remaining 1?2 cup sugar. Fold egg white mixture gently into batter mixture until just blended. Spread batter evenly over apples. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Invert cake from pan onto serving plate. Serve cake warm with whipped cream or crème fraiche.

Maple Whipped Cream

This is a treat any time of the year. The unique color and light flavor of Maple Whipped Cream makes it versatile for any table. Add 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts for a Puff Pastry filling or topping for Fruit of Cake.

• 2 cups (16 fl. oz.) heavy cream
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup (to taste) Coombs Family Farms pure maple syrup, -or- 1/2 to 1 cup Coombs Family Farms pure maple sugar

Whip cream, fold in maple.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz cream cheese
• 3/4 cup Coombs Family Farms pure maple sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• (Syrup and lemon optional)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients well. Pour into a cheesecake pan. Bake at 350 F for 30 – 35 minutes.

Apple-Maple Butter

To do ahead of time:

*If you are new to canning, please familiarize yourself with the safest and most up-to-date boiling water bath canning techniques.  The Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving (often available where canning supplies are sold—make sure to get the most up to date edition) is a great resource for this, as is the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

*Wash and rinse half-pint jars, lids, and screw bands.  Set screw bands aside until ready to use.  Place jars in hot water bath canner, fill at least 2/3 of the way full with water, and bring to a boil.  Sterilize jars for 10 minutes, then turn down heat and let jars stand in hot water until ready to use.  Place lids in water in a small pan, bring to a low simmer, and hold there until ready to use.

Ingredients:

• 10 pounds apples
• 3 cups sweet apple cider
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cloves
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 2 ½ cups maple sugar

Directions:

1.) Peel and core apples, then slice into quarters.

2.) Place apples and apple cider into a large stainless steel sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook until apples are soft, stirring frequently.  This should take between 20 and 30 minutes, depending on the variety and maturity of the apple.

3.) Remove the saucepan from the heat.  Ladle the apple pulp into a food mill, and press the pulp through the food mill.  If you do not have a food mill, you can lightly puree the apple pulp in a food processor instead.

4.) Return the apple puree to the saucepan, then add cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and maple sugar.  Heat the mixture to boiling, stirring frequently, then reduce heat.  Simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture has reduced and thickened significantly.   This will take about an hour, or possibly longer.   You’ll know that it’s done when the apple mixture retains its shape when mounded on a spoon.

5.) Remove hot jars from canner and immediately ladle hot apple butter into jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace.  Remove trapped air bubbles and wipe rims with a damp cloth.  Carefully put on lids and screw bands, tightening to fingertip-tight.

10.) Place jars in the hot water, ensuring that jars are covered with at least 1-2 inches of water.  Place a lid on the canner, return to a rolling boil, and boil for 10 minutes.  (Add one minute additional processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.)

11.) Turn off heat and allow canner and jars to sit untouched for 5 minutes.  Then, remove jars from canner, placing them on a cooling rack or dishtowel.

12.) Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Then, confirm that jars have sealed.  Enjoy your apple butter!  Or, store properly for later use.

Makes approximately 12 half-pints

During maple harvest season a traditional candy-like treat is created by drizzling hot maple syrup on snow. This dessert by Bon Appetit is a bit more gourmet, but it has the same idea. Drizzle maple syrup over almost anything and the results are going to be devoured.

Photo by Dan Forbes for Bon Appetit.

Gingerbread Cookies and House Dough

Susan Marcia Fein Chef of Living Arts Kitchen in Austin Texas

Ingredients:

• 1 lb butter or non-hydrogenated margarine
• 1 3/4 lb non-hydrogenated shortening
• 2 lb Coombs Family Farms pure maple sugar
• 14 oz eggs (about
• 2 3/4 lbs molasses
• 4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp ginger
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• Dash of clove
• 6 lb spelt flour or unbleached white flour

Directions:

Combine butter and shortening in bowl and blend until creamy. Add Coombs Family Farms pure maple sugar and beat until creamy and a little lighter. Add eggs and molasses and continue beating. Sift all the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture until well incorporated. The dough should be soft yet firm. If too soft, add a bit more flour. Remember, you can always add more flour but you cannot take the flour out so add slowly.

Refrigerate the dough for an hour before rolling out.  Roll the dough in small batches to desired thickness, cut out the shape you wish, and bake on parchment covered cookie sheet for 15-18 minutes at 350-375 F. Or until just starting to turn golden Coombs at the edges and puffy in the center. Decorate with icing or just eat as is. This recipe is also excellent for gingerbread houses. Bake until quite firm.

According to The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink, recipes featuring maple syrup include hot maple syrup poured over clean snow, drizzled over flannel cakes, in walnut and pecan pies, and as a flavoring for ice cream. All those suggestions sound good, but wait till you try this recipe!

Maple-Pecan Sundaes with Candied Bacon from October, 2010 issue of Bon Appetit.

Ingredients:

• 4 bacon slices
• 2 Tbsp maple sugar, divided
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup (preferably Grade B)
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted Vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. **A more sustainable option to foil is Silpat (great for baking cookies on!). Place rack in center of foil. Lay bacon slices on rack. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp maple sugar evenly over bacon. Bake until sugar is melted, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 1 Tbsp sugar over same side of bacon. Bake until bacon is deep brown and glazed, 12 to 14 minutes longer. Remove from oven.

Preheat broiler. Broil bacon until sugar on top bubbles thickly, watching closely to prevent burning, 1 to 2 minutes. Cool bacon completely on rack. Cut into 1/4-inch dice.

Combine maple syrup and cinnamon sticks in deep medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium -high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce is thickened and reduced to 1/2 to 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks. Mix lemon juice and ginger into sauce. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Stir pecans and bacon into maple sauce. Scoop ice cream into dessert dishes. Spoon sauce over and serve.

Yield: 6 servings.

Photograph by Dan Forbes for Bon Appetit.

Made these last weekend with some apples I had on hand, and the results were so popular am making again for a dinner party this Friday night.  Apple picking, baking, and eating = a perfect weekend to ring in fall!

Maple Sugar Baked Apples

Ingredients:

• 8 large baking Apples  (such as Cortland or Golden Delicious)
• ½ cup Maple Sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
• 6 Tbsp. Coombs Family Farms 100% pure organic maple syrup
• 4 Tbsp  unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• ¼ – ½  cup raisins (optional)
• 1 cup water

Directions:

Peel skin off top quarter of each apple.  Core apple, leaving bottom intact.  Stand apples in 13x9x2-inch baking pan.  Mix sugar and spice in bowl.  Reserve 2 Tbsp mixture.  Fill apple cavities with remaining sugar mixture and raisins if desired.  Spoon ½ Tbsp maple syrup into each cavity.  Scatter 3 Tbsp butter piece over apple.  (can be made up to 4 hours ahead. Cover & chill)

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Pour ½ water into pan with apples.  Bake apples 35 minutes.  Add reserve 2 Tbsp sugar mixture, 2  Tbsp maple syrup, 1 Tbsp butter, and ½ cup water to pan.  Bake until apples are tender when pierced with skewer, about 25 minutes longer.  Transfer apples to 8 bowls.  Place baking pan atop 2 burners: boil over medium-high heat until syrupy, about 2 minutes.  Drizzle sauce over apples.  Serve with maple whip cream, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings

Maple Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (16 fl. Oz.) Heavy Cream
• ¼ to ½ cup Coombs Family Farms 100% pure organic maple syrup*

Directions:

Whip cream, fold in Maple

*Substitute Maple Syrup for 1 ½ cups of Coombs Family Farms 100% pure organic maple sugar