So Much On My Plate – Maple Syrup

This week, So Much On My Plate celebrated maple syrup.  You can use it for so much more than a topping.  I have 4 recipes for you, the first recipe is one I adapted from a dish I learned from a former executive chef at the Fairmont Waterfront, Daryle Nagata.  Last time I heard, he was with the Fairmont in Washington, DC.  This recipe calls for a cedar plank, make sure the cedar you get is untreated cedar.  You don’t want to be inhaling creosote or some other preservative as the plank heats up on the barbecue.  Many grocery stores are now selling cedar planks especially made for this purpose.

Maple-Soy Planked Salmon

Ingredients:

One boneless fillet of salmon per person, 4 to 6 ounces each

One cedar plank, 6 inches wide, and long enough to hold the salmon pieces in one layer

Maple syrup

Soya sauce

Freshly ground black pepper

Soak your cedar plank in enough water to cover it for at least half an hour.  I don’t give exact amounts for the syrup and soya, since it will vary with the number of fillets you are marinating.  Place the salmon fillets in a zip loc bag large enough to hold the fillets and pour in equal amounts of soya sauce and maple syrup, just enough to coat the surface of the salmon.  You don’t have to marinate the salmon long for it to pick up the flavour of the soy and maple.  15-20 minutes is plenty. Turn your barbecue on high, then take your cedar plank out of the water and place in directly on the grill.  Close the lid.  When the plank starts to crackle and smoke, lift the lid and place the salmon fillets skin side down on the plank.  Close the lid.  The salmon is done when it turns opaque and flakes easily.  Don’t overcook!  I like my salmon medium rare.  Turn off barbecue, and lift salmon from the cedar with a metal spatula.  Serve immediately.

The following recipes were chosen from a review of recipes available from various maple syrup producer websites, but all of them were tested in the PacificPalate.com test kitchen with good results.

Maple Corn Bread

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups (325 ml) sifted all-purpose flour
4 tsp (20 ml) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt
2/3 cup (150 ml) cornmeal
2/3 cup (150 ml) milk
1/3 cup (75 ml) maple syrup
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup (50 ml) butter, melted
1/4 cup (50 ml) maple syrup
1/2 cup (125 ml) walnuts, coarsely chopped

Heat oven to 375°F. Grease 9 inch square cake pan. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir in cornmeal with fork. Combine milk, 1/3 cup (75 ml) maple syrup, butter, and eggs; add to dry ingredients. Stir in just until blended. Spoon into pan and smooth. Drizzle remaining 1/4 cup (50 ml) maple syrup over batter. Sprinkle with walnuts. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Maple Chicken

Ingredients:
2 lb (1 kg) chicken pieces
1/3 cup (75 ml) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 ml) vegetable oil
1/2 cup (125 ml) maple syrup
2 Tbsp (30 ml) cider vinegar
2 Tbsp (30 ml) sherry
2 Tbsp (30 ml) soya sauce
2 tsp (10 ml) ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp (2 ml) pepper
1/4 tsp (1 ml) paprika

Coat chicken pieces well with flour. In large nonstick fry pan, add vegetable oil. Cook for 5 minutes, browning well, turn often. Arrange in 9" x 12" baking dish. In small bowl, mix together maple syrup, vinegar, sherry, soya sauce, ginger, garlic, pepper and paprika. Pour over chicken evenly. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes to 1 hour, turning once during baking. Cover with foil, if browning too quickly. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

Caramelized Maple Popcorn

Ingredients:
½ cup popping corn
½ cup butter or margarine
¼ cup maple syrup
1 cup brown sugar
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp vanilla extract

Pop enough corn to make 10 – 12 cups. Place popped corn in a buttered mixing bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan melt butter then mix in syrup, brown sugar and salt. Boil for five minutes without stirring. Remove from heat then stir in baking soda and vanilla extract. Pour mixture over popcorn and mix well. Turn into large casserole dish or roasting pan and bake in 250F oven for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Cool.