It's Maple Season

There are many reasons to love maple. Here are two of them:

The front pie is the maple pie (first recipe); the rear pie is the maple walnut pie (second recipe) below.

Asked what he wants to be when he grows up, Nikolas recently replied: I want to work at a sugar house and make maple syrup.... (There are some sketchy details that then involve knocking down our house and so we can go and live with him on the farm, but hey, the kid wants to be a farmer, AND he’s going to hook us up with maple syrup. Cool!)

I’m finding the maple syrup in the Bulk department a great deal right now at $5.99/pound for Grade A, $5.89/pound for Grade B. Maple can be used in a lot of recipes that call for sugar. You can substitute it 1:1 if you want a strong and sweet maple flavor, but maple syrup is so sweet I usually opt for 1:3/4 if I want to keep the level of sweetness the same. I’ll even substitute it 1:1/2 some times, but that’s because I often reduce the sugar content if I find recipes too sweet.

Where can you substitute maple syrup? Definitely in quick breads like banana bread or pumpkin bread, in muffins, in pudding (you will get a somewhat more caramel color), in cookies (you’ll get a smoother, crisper texture), and in things like salad dressing. Sometimes recipes with maple syrup take a touch longer to bake, because of the increased liquid content. Is there any place you can’t substitute it? Well, for some reason I don’t find maple syrup pairs that well with certain fruits. I don’t use it to sweeten berries, or to sweeten rhubarb, or in fruit smoothies (I use honey for those). I wouldn’t use it in layer cake where you want a light and fluffy consistency.

I would DEFINITELY use maple syrup in maple pie, as you can see from these recipes. The first is a sweet, dark, maple pie that is heavenly with Strafford ice cream (and best shared with a number of friends!). The second is more of a custard pie, not as sweet, with lovely notes of lemon and cinnamon and crunchy walnuts. It would be good with whipped cream.

Maple Pie

3 large eggs
1 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust (we used frozen whole wheat organic pie shells)

Arrange oven rack in middle position and top with heavy baking sheet. Preheat oven to 425°F.

In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, butter, vanilla, brown sugar, and salt.

Transfer pie to baking sheet and bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° F and bake until crust is golden and center is just set, 25 to 30 minutes more.

Transfer pie to rack and cool at least 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: The original recipe called for 1 cup of walnuts and 2/3 cup sugar, but we wanted a maple syrup pie more similar to the tarte au sucre d’erable you find in Quebec, which has no nuts and a strong maple flavor.

Adapted from Epicurious

Maple Walnut Pie

4 large eggs
¾ cup maple syrup
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 -1/2 tsp. cinnamon (to taste)
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. salt
2 cups chopped walnuts
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

Preheat oven to 375°. Beat together all ingredients, except walnuts and pie crust, until light and frothy. Spread the walnuts into the unbaked crust. Pour in the batter. Bake for 30 minutes or until solid in the center. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve warm at room temperature, or chilled.

From the Moosewood Cookbook