# Maple Things



## Chief Longwind Of The North (May 30, 2009)

As Maple syrup originated with Native Americans, I'm starting this thread in the ethnic food section.

Maple syrup/sugar is a wonderful flavoring.  And for all of my DC friends who aren't fortunate enough to have sugar maple trees in their back yard, here are some flavor ideas you may not have experienced.  But first, let me give you a bit of advice.  When purchasing maple syrup, look for Grade-B syrup rather than Grade-A Fancy.  It has a more robust flavor, and is cheaper to boot.

1. Maple syrup, unmatched as a syrup to pour over pancakes and waffles.
2. Drizzle it over home-made sticky buns (caramel buns), with broken pecans or walnuts.
3. Use in place of mollases or brown sugar in baked beans.
4. Use as a glaze with pork roasts and ham.
5. brush onto the top crust of apple pie before baking.
6. Add with a tough of butter to glazed carrots.
7. Add to sweet potato casseroles.
8. Brush onto bacon while frying, or cooking in the oven.
9. Add a tbs. or so to hot chocolate.
10. Use in place of honey on toast.
11. Drizzle over vanilla ice cream.
12. Add to sparkling water to make maple-flavored soda.
13. Use in milk shakes.
14. Drizzle over halved peaches before baking or barbecuing.
15. Add to tomato-based barbecue sauce
16. Just a bit added to chili is deliscious.  Btu be careful.  Just use a little.
17. Add to bread dough in place of sugar.
18. Use in home-made butter-cream frosting/icing.
19. Use as a glaze for raisin-nut bread.
20. Use in home-made fudge recipes.
21. Use to make maple flavored blondies (like brownies only without the cocoa).
22. Use with marshmallow to make Rice Krispy Treats.
23. Use in home-made yellow cake batter.
24. Add to whipped cream while whipping the cream.
25. Use in custards for filling home-made pastries, such as long johns or eclairs.
26. Use as a glaze for home-made pastries.
27. Add in place of brown sugar in home-made sloppy joes.
28. Drizzle over smoked bratwurst or summer sausage.
29. Add to cream cheese custard in your next home-made cheesecake.
30. Have a tablespoon or so, just because it tastes sooooo good.

Any other ideas are welcome, even from our Southern freinds (you know, the people who use brown sugar and corn syrup for everything).

Oh, and ladies, maple syrup is so good, you might try a dab behind the ears, and a quick smear on the throat, above the knee, etc., in place of Obsession, or Channel No.5.  Ahhhahahahaha.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


----------



## Silversage (May 30, 2009)

Drink it straight out of the bottle!


----------



## justplainbill (May 30, 2009)

Anyone find maple seeds palatable?


----------



## bethzaring (May 30, 2009)

I recently bought a gallon of grade b and put most of it in the freezer...I just added a dab to the yogurt I am incubating today, to take the "edge" off the flavor.....don't like to be without maple syrup...


----------



## JMediger (May 30, 2009)

GW ... I would add "and sprinkle with peanuts" to your #11.  It's our standby night time treat.

Beth, I've never thought of adding a bit to yogurt ... mmmm.

Last year's sugar run in our area was short and bad so prices this year were way up but this years was awesome!  I think the sap ran for longer than it has in many years!  I have cousins that know a guy (the best way to buy syrup IMHO) that they buy it by the milk can from.  They need to boil and bottle it but they are getting a really good deal per gallon.

Also, another fun fact that I'm sure will gather the ire of some ... like honey, maple syrup will not go bad.  If you do keep it on a shelf (rather than the fridge) and find mold, simply scoop it off and reboil.  Technically, it shouldn't even mold but if you get crud in your bottle (from pouring it back into the bottle from a pitcher or whatever) you may.


----------



## Uncle Bob (May 30, 2009)

It is a wonderful base for a BBQ rib glaze..Oh My!!!!!


----------



## Andy M. (May 30, 2009)

I use it in my hot oatmeal in place of other sugars.


----------



## chefkathleen (May 30, 2009)

Man, that all sounds so good! I love maple syrup but, have a hard time buying it. I would spend the $10.00 on a bottle if I knew I'd like it. I had bought one years ago for 7 and was mad that it tasted like crap, so now I'm gun shy. Wish I knew someone from Vermont to advise me! LOL


----------



## dave the baker (May 31, 2009)

Maple seeds?  Yup!  Back when I was a kid.  Called 'em helicopters.  Ate 'em, too.


----------



## Claire (Jun 4, 2009)

chefkathleen, a lot of people who grew up on "imitation maple syrup" really don't like the real thing.  For them, it simply is too flavorful and not sweet enough.  I even used to have a friend who would travel with her bottle of plain old Mrs Butterworth's type syrup because her husband liked a restaurant that only served the real thing.  I buy my mother a bottle of local (that is to say, Wisconsin) maple syrup every year for Christmas and she makes a point of hiding it because the kids (siblings of mine and their offspring) will pour half a bottle on their plate, then say yuck and not eat it.  My husband and I do NOT have a sweet tooth, so only buy the real thing and only have it a few times a  year.


----------



## justplainbill (Jun 4, 2009)

I grew up in a household that used Log Cabin brand.  Wouldn't use that stuff today if I could get it for free.  The real stuff is great but we don't use it much because it's a kinda pricey luxury with apparently marginal food value.


----------



## Hoot (Jun 4, 2009)

Drizzled over baked winter squash......mighty good!


----------



## msmofet (Jun 4, 2009)

Andy M. said:


> I use it in my hot oatmeal in place of other sugars.


i also use it in oatmeal (remember Maypo) and all my hot cereals i love mixing wheatena, farina and cream of wheat together with maple syrup and just a touch of brown sugar, butter and raisins . hmmmmmmmmm that my be dinner tonight!! LOL







i use it in sweet potato and accorn squash cassarole.


----------



## jabbur (Jun 4, 2009)

I grew up in a maple heavy area in Ohio.  Our county always held a maple festival every spring and it was routine for the schools to take a trip to the sugar cabin and watch the process of making maple syrup.  One of my favorite things was the hot maple stirs.  You'd get a small bowl of hot maple syrup and you'd stir it until it became creamy and then eat.  Talk about heaven!  Since moving to VA, it's hard to find good maple syrup so I either order it online or pick some up when I go back to visit relatives.  Here are links to the two places I get my syrup from for those of you who might enjoy getting some of the genuine article.

Richards Maple Products | If it's maple, we have it! | Chardon | Ohio | Geauga County
Online Store


----------



## chefkathleen (Jun 4, 2009)

Claire, I never thought of that. My mother was a Karo user and I've mostly used Mrs. B or Log Cabin. It could be just that I'm not used to "the good stuff". LOL


----------



## msmofet (Jun 4, 2009)

jabbur said:


> I grew up in a maple heavy area in Ohio. Our county always held a maple festival every spring and it was routine for the schools to take a trip to the sugar cabin and watch the process of making maple syrup. One of my favorite things was the hot maple stirs. You'd get a small bowl of hot maple syrup and you'd stir it until it became creamy and then eat. Talk about heaven! Since moving to VA, it's hard to find good maple syrup so I either order it online or pick some up when I go back to visit relatives. Here are links to the two places I get my syrup from for those of you who might enjoy getting some of the genuine article.
> 
> Richards Maple Products | If it's maple, we have it! | Chardon | Ohio | Geauga County
> Online Store


 thanks for the links but WOW!! expansive stuff u'd think it was gold!!


----------



## justplainbill (Jun 4, 2009)

msmofet said:


> thanks for the links but WOW!! expansive stuff u'd think it was gold!!



Bout the same as Jack Daniel's unless you have access to a class 6 store.


----------



## msmofet (Jun 4, 2009)

justplainbill said:


> Bout the same as Jack Daniel's unless you have access to a class 6 store.


 sorry i don't drink JD. i like tequilla better  
ok whats a class 6 store? a military store (PX sp)?


----------



## justplainbill (Jun 4, 2009)

Used to be one of the bigger fringe benefits of being in the military.


----------



## Scotch (Jun 4, 2009)

WARNING! THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU: I've been spoiled by using TJ's maple syrup for many years (expensive but good price compared to other brands, and very good quality). I can no longer stand the goop they serve at Denny's and places of that ilk, nor can I stomach cheap commercial "maple flavored" syrups.


----------



## msmofet (Jun 4, 2009)

Scotch said:


> WARNING! THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU: I've been spoiled by using TJ's maple syrup for many years (expensive but good price compared to other brands, and very good quality). I can no longer stand the goop they serve at Denny's and places of that ilk, nor can I stomach cheap commercial "maple flavored" syrups.


 ok so ya got a link sweetie?


----------



## msmofet (Jun 4, 2009)

justplainbill said:


> Used to be one of the bigger fringe benefits of being in the military.


yeah cig and booze prices were amazing. i had a friend.


----------



## Andy M. (Jun 4, 2009)

I have been caring for my grandson weekdays since he was 3 months old.  When he started eating hot oatmeal, I flavored it with maple syrup.  Same for waffles and pancakes.  I want him to know the best rather than getting accustomed to imitations.  

Between the two of us, I go through quite a bit of syrup even though we don't glug it on in large quantities.  Costco always offers it.  I had been buying it in half gallons for the quart price in the supermarkets but the last bottle was really expensive.


----------



## chefkathleen (Jun 4, 2009)

Who is TJs?


----------



## msmofet (Jun 4, 2009)

chefkathleen said:


> Who is TJs?


 it just came to me TRADER JOE'S?


----------



## appleyard14 (Jun 4, 2009)

I have some really great maple syrups from quebec. I cant believe nobody mentioned maple salmon yet! Thats one of my favorites, marinate salmon for 2 hours in some syrup, soy sauce, black pepper, and roughly chopped rosemary. Its one of my favorite ways to eat salmon. There is also a lady who makes fudge at my local farmers market and she makes the worlds best maple fudge, its so so good. I make it a point to buy a slab everytime i go.


----------



## msmofet (Jun 4, 2009)

appleyard14 said:


> I have some really great maple syrups from quebec. I cant believe nobody mentioned maple salmon yet! Thats one of my favorites, marinate salmon for 2 hours in some syrup, soy sauce, black pepper, and roughly chopped rosemary. Its one of my favorite ways to eat salmon. There is also a lady who makes fudge at my local farmers market and she makes the worlds best maple fudge, its so so good. I make it a point to buy a slab everytime i go.


 the fudge sounds yummy.

do you ever make your salmon with maple and tarragon? if so there is a tarragon thread you may want to post in.


----------



## Scotch (Jun 4, 2009)

Yeah, TJ's is Trader Joes. They sell several varieties of maple syrup. We buy the Grade A from Quebec. Not sure of the price, but I think it's about $4.50 for a 12.5 ounce bottle.


----------



## appleyard14 (Jun 4, 2009)

msmofet said:


> the fudge sounds yummy.
> 
> do you ever make your salmon with maple and tarragon? if so there is a tarragon thread you may want to post in.


 
The fudge really is to die for. I have not made maple tarragon salmon but that sounds really good! I'll definetly try that next time I make salmon


----------



## msmofet (Jun 4, 2009)

appleyard14 said:


> The fudge really is to die for. I have not made maple tarragon salmon but that sounds really good! I'll definetly try that next time I make salmon


 cool!! i am strange about the kinds of fish i eat. i am a fish eating fish hater. i love clams on the half shell figure that one out. LOL and i do eat other fish mostly white flesh cod and flounder. salmon sometimes. my little girl loves all kinds of fish and sushi. older is a little picker about fish.


----------

