Sorry I came in so late with this, as it's a natural for a nation that sports the maple leaf as its flag. Hope you can use it for Christmas, or another special occasion, say, because it's a Tuesday. I give you Maple-Pecan Pie.
Ingredients:
Ingredients Directions
2 Eggs, Slightly Beaten
1 Cup Grade B Maple Syrup
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1-1/4 Cups Broken Texas native pecans
Preheat oven to 375 deg F.
Spread pecans in an unbaked 9-inch pie shell.
Mix remaining ingredients and pour over the pecans.
Bake at 375 deg F. for 40 to 50 minutes or until filling is set.
Remove, cool, and serve with Chantilly Cream
Now, good holiday braid:
Cinnamon Christmas Braid
Makes 2 braids
1lb Potatoes (aprox 3 med potatoes) Cooked and mashed. ( you can use instant potatoes if you wish too)
-Reserve 1/2 cup of liquid from boiling potatoes
-Mix: 1 1/4 cups warm milk
1/2 C oil
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
1 TBS salt
3 tbs. Cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
When potato water cools to about 100 degrees, add 2Tbs of Yeast to water and then add to previous mixture.
Add 7 1/2 C flour (dough will be soft) and I usually mix the last cup or so into mixture by hand-kneading. This dough should be rather stiff so the braids will retain their shape. Coat the dough lightly with flour and turn it out onto a well-floured kneading surface.
Knead the dough for ten minutes. Lightly dust the working surface if the dough becomes sticky.
Place the dough into a bowl, and rub butter over the surface. Cover the bowl with a clean, linen towel and place in a warm place. Let the dough sit until it doubles in volume.
Push on the dough to deflate. Remove it from the bowl and place again place it onto the floured working surface. Knead it for a minute or so to remove any bubbles . Cut the dough into two equal pieces and let rest.
Cut 1/3 of the dough off of one of the pieces and set it aside. Cut the remaining dough into 3 pieces. Roll each piece into an 18 inch snake. Flatten lengthwise with a rolling pin and sprinkle liberally with sugar and cinnamon. Roll the flattened ribbons into ropes. Braid the ropes and place them on a greased baking sheet. Repeat this braid with the remaining dough. Place them securely on top of the braid already on the baking sheet.
Do the same with the second half of the dough.
Allow to rise until double in a warm, draft free spot: 30 minutes.
Brush the braids with egg wash.
Bake in a 400 degree F. oven for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North