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March 2006,
"How Sweet It Is: We take a look at our favorite maple syrups – which brand is best?"
Gourmet Magazine
Pure maple syrup is a kitchen-cupboard staple. It’s great on a short stack, but we also use it to impart on a deep, complex sweetness to everything from salad dressings to pork loin. As a rule, we like the robust flavor of Grade B rather than smooth, light Grade A or Fancy, so that’s what we’ve tasted here; these are about as far away from commercial table syrup brands (which generally have little or no maple content) as you can possibly get. The syrups below are listed in order of our preference.
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Brand |
|
Maple Flavor |
|
Taster's Notes |
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| 1. |
Coombs Family Farms (8 oz/ 236 ml; $4) |
Deep, earthy complex |
The essence of spring in maple country |
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| 2. |
Morse Farm Maple Sugar Works (1 pt/473 ml; $8.95) |
Beautifully rounded, roasted flavor |
A great all-around sweetener |
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| 3. |
Maple Orchard Farms (2L; $39; labeled "Canada No. 2 Medium") |
Dark and Mysterious |
Caramel Overtones |
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| 4. |
Carman Brook Maple Farm (1 qt/ 946 ml; $11) |
Strong and Clean |
Some say a caramel finish, others think molasses |
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| 5. |
South Meadow Farm Sugar Works (1/2 gal/ 1.89 L; $24) |
Nice and Deep |
A little vanilla in the finish |
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| 6. |
Smoke Kettle Maple Company (2 L; $40; labeled "Canada No. 1 Medium") |
Smooth and Subtle |
Has a creaminess to the flavor |
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| 7. |
Mance's Tree Farm (1 pt/ 473 ml; $11.95) |
Very clean. Straightforward |
Lighter, brighter, higher notes than others |
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| 8. |
Fuller's Sugarhouse (1 qt/ 946 ml; $13.95) |
Well-balanced |
Very versatile |
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| 9. |
Dakin Farm (1 qt/ 946 ml; $19.95) |
Seems wan in comparison to the others |
Brown sugar in the finish |
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| 10. |
Highland Sugar Works (1 qt/ 473 ml; $11.50; labeled "Cooking Maple") |
Murky, not mapley |
Disappointing. But maple syrup, like other crop-based products, varies with weather and other factors, so better luck next year. |
“Golden Delicious:
More Than Just Sweetness, Maple adds a Distinctive, Almost Smoky Flavor to a Range of Dishes”
The city of Montreal is bordered by maple groves to the west, north, and east. Throughout Quebec, more than 7,000 producers crank of 80 percent of the worlds total supply of maple syrup. Not surprisingly, in fact, has gone so far at to develop a flavor wheel (agr.gc.ca/maple_wheel) to help aficionados decode the nuances in carious styles of syrup. (Sophisticated palates can evidently find hints of clove, marshmallow, and roasted dandelion root.) And Vieux Montreal is home to Canadian maple Delights (see page 108), a bistro and boutique run by Quebec’s biggest cooperative of producers, showcasing items ranging from breakfast syrups to maple-flavored sparkling water and maple chunks (a variation of chocolate chips). Sparkling water may be pushing it, but we can attest to maple syrup’s versatility: We love it on everything: a spicy-sweet orange and endive salad, rich broiled mackerel fillets, and more.
Maple Sugar Ragamuffins
Makes 12
Active Time: 25 min
Start to Finish: 1 HR (includes cooling)
For a gentle boost of sweetness, these buttery biscuit roll-ups feature maple in both the dough and the filling.
For Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-tablespoon granulate maple sugar
1-tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
¾ cup whole milk
For Filling:
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, well softened
1 cup granulated maple sugar (6 oz)
Special Equipment: parchment paper
MAKE DOUGH: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400oF. Line a large (17 by 14 inch) baking sheet with parchment.
*Whisk together flour, maple sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. As mild and stir with a fork until shaggy dough forms. Gently knead dough 8 to 10 times with floured hands on a lightly floured surface.
ROLL OUT AND FILL DOUGH: Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 13 by 11 inch rectangle. Spread softened butter evenly over dough and sprinkle all over with maple sugar, pressing firmly to help adhere. Beginning with one long side, roll up dough snugly, jellyroll style. Cut row crosswise into 12 slices with a sharp knife. Arrange slices, cut sides down, 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Gather any maple sugar from work surface and sprinkle in tops of rolls. Bake until rolls are puffed and golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool until warm.
COOKS NOTES: Ragamuffins are best eaten immediately but can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, the kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Reheat oven in a 350 oF oven before serving. – Maple sugar is usually sold granulated, but if you find a brand sold as very large granules, pulse the sugar in a blender until it becomes more finely granulated.
Orange and Endive Salad with maple Chipotle Vinaigrette
Serves 4
Active Time: 20 min
Start to Finish: 20 min
It’s impossible to overstate just how well the ingredients come together in this beautiful salad. The textural contrast of juicy ripe oranges and crisp endives is enhanced by a surprisingly complex vinaigrette containing sweet, spicy, and smoky flavors.
¼ cup fresh orange juice
2-tablespoons dark amber of Grade B maple syrup
2-tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-tablespoon Sherry vinegar
1-tablespoon finely chopped canned Chipotle Chile in adobo plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
½ teaspoon salt
3 navel oranges
4 large Belgian endives, ends trimmed
*Whisk together orange juice, syrup, oil, vinegar, onion, lemon juice, Chipotle with adobo sauce, and salt in a bowl until combined well.
* Remove peel and any white pith from oranges with a sharp knife. Cut oranges crosswise into ¼ inch thick slices. Separate endive leaves and arrange with oranges on a platter, then drizzle with vinaigrette.
Chicken with Black pepper Maple Sauce
Serves 4
Active time: 20 min
Start to Finish: 40 min
This dish, inspired by a recipe from Gray Kunz’s Elements of Taste, is a great alternative to roasting a whole chicken. To ensure that the bird lies flat and cooks evenly in the am, we’ve used the spatchcock technique, which entails simply removing the backbone of the chicken and tucking the legs up and out of the way. Don’t worry if the instructions seem a bit confusing when you’re reading through the recipe—the steps become obvious once you have a chicken in front of you. For more information about spatchcocking, see Kitchen Notebook, page 147.
1 (3 to 3 ½ lb) whole chicken
1-teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 (3 inch long) sprigs fresh rosemary plus 1 (1 inch long) sprig
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
¼ cup dark amber or Grade B maple syrup
¾ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup cider vinegar
Special Equipment: kitchen shears; 2 (10 inch) heavy skillets (one well-seasoned cast-iron or heavy nonstick); a 10 inch round of parchment paper; 5 to 6 lb of weights such as 3 (28 oz) cans of tomatoes
*Cut out backbone from chicken with kitchen shears and discard. Pat chicken dry then spread flat, skin side up, on a cutting board. Cut a ½ inch slit on each side of chicken in center of triangle of skin between thighs and breast (near drumstick), then tuck bottom knob of each drumstick through slit (See Kitchen notebook, page 147). Tuck wing tips under breast. Sprinkle chicken all over with salt and ground pepper.
* Heat 3 tablespoons butter in 10 inch cast-iron or heavy, nonstick skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides. Add chicken, skin side down over chicken. Cover with parchment round and second skillet, then top with weights. Cook chicken until skin is browned, about 15 minutes. Remove and reserve weights, top skillet, parchment, and rosemary, then carefully loosen chicken from skillet, and weights. Cook until chicken is jut cooked trough, 15 to 20 minutes more.
MAKE SAUCE WHILE CHICKEN COOKS: Toast peppercorns in a dry 1/quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, shaking pan occasionally, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a clean cutting board and coarsely crush with a rolling pin. Return peppercorns to saucepan and bring to a simmer with syrup, ½ cup broth, and small rosemary sprig, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
Maple Custard Cups
Serves 6
Active Time: 15 min
Start to Finish: 1 ½ Hour
Maple syrup and maple sugar infuse a simple vanilla custard with a rich caramelized flavor.
2 whole large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 ½ cups whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup dark amber of grade B maple syrup
2 tablespoons granulated maple sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: a 13 by 9 inch baking pan; 6 (6 oz) custard cups or ramekins
*Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 oF. * Whisk together all ingredients in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved then pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a 1-quart glass measure. Divide custard evenly among cups, then transfer cups to baking pan. Bake in a hot water bath pan (see Tips, page 157), covered loosely with foil, until custards are just set and a knife inserted in center of one comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
COOKS’ NOTE: Custard is best when eaten immediately, but can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
Maple Sugar Tartlets
Makes 8 (3 ½ inch) tarts
Active Time: 45 min
Start to Finish: 2 ½ HR
(Includes chilling dough)
These delightful tartlets hold just the right amount of gooey pecan filling.
FOR PASTRY DOUGH:
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1-teaspoon sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup cold water
FOR FILLING:
2 large eggs
½ cup dark amber or grade B maple syrup
6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons granulated maple sugar
1 ½ tablespoons cider vinegar
Rounded 1/8-teaspoon salt
2/3 cup pecans (2 ½ oz), finely chopped
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: a pastry or bench scraper (optional); a 4-½ inch round cookie cuter; 8 (3 ½ inch) fluted round tartlet pans; pie weights or raw rice
ACCOMPANIMENT: unsweetened whipped cream
MAKE DOUGH: Blend together flour, sugar, butter, and salt in a bowl with you fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea size) butter lumps. Drizzle water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork until incorporated and dough forms a ball. *Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once n a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all dough together with scraper or your hands and press into a ball, and then flatten into a 5-inch disk. Wrap disk in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
MAKE TARTLET SHELLS: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat 375 oF. * Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 16 by 14-inch oval (1/8 thick). Cut out 8 (4 ½ inch) rounds with cutter and fit each round into a tartlet pan, pressing lightly to fit into pans. *Transfer tartlet pans to a baking sheet and chill until dough is firm, about 15 minutes. * Line each tartlet shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until edges are pale golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and continue baking until bottoms are golden, about 5 minutes more. Cool completely in pans on a rack, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 oF.
MAKE FILLING AND BAKE TARTLETS:
While shells cool, whisk together all filling ingredients except nuts until combined well. Returned cooled tartlet shells, dividing it evenly. Ladle filling into shells, dividing it evenly. * Bake tartlets until filling is just set, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool in pans on rack, about 15 minutes, then carefully remove tartlets from pans. Serve warm or at room temperature.
COOKS’ NOTES: Pastry dough can be chilled up to 2 days.
Maple-Soy-Glazed Mackerel Fillets With Avocado
Serves 4
Active Time: 25 in
Start to Finish: 35 min
Vinegar, soy, sherry and maple syrup create a wonderfully balanced glaze for this mackerel; it takes on a beautiful caramel sheen during cooking.
2/3-cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup dry Sherry
½ cup dark amber or grade B maple syrup
1 large firm-ripe California avocado
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8-teaspoon black pepper
4 (7 to 8 oz) Spanish mackerel fillets with skin (about ½ inch thick)
ACCOMPANIMENTS: rice; lemon wedges
*Briskly simmer vinegar, soy sauce, sherry, and maple syrup in a 9 to 10 inch heavy skillet over moderately low heat until reduced to about 1/3 cup, 20 to 25 minutes. Keep warm.
PREPARE AVOCADO WHILE SAUCE REDUCES:
Quarter avocado lengthwise, then pit and peel. Cut lengthwise into ½ inch thick slices, and then gently toss together lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
GLAZE AND BAKE FISH:
Preheat boiler. Line a large (15 to 10 inch) shallow baking pan with foil. *Reserve about one fourth of glaze in a small bowl. * Arrange fillets, skin sides down, and 1 layer in baking pan. Spoon about one third of remaining glaze over fillet, then spread with back of spoon to coat evenly. * Broil fish 5 to 6 inches from heat, without turning, 2 minutes. Remove pan from broiler and coat with another layer of glaze, and then broil 2 minutes more. Remove fillets from broiler and apply a third coat of glaze, then broil 1 minute more (for a total of 5 minutes). Remove from broiler and, with a clean spoon, apply reserved glaze. (Reserved glaze will not have touched uncooked fish.) * Divide avocado salad among four plates, and then serve fish along side it.