Ezine Vol 1:6, Maple Syrup

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"Helping You Cope With Your Cooking Quandaries"

Volume 1: Issue 6, March 26, 2004

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>>>>>>>>>>>> Table of Contents <<<<<<<<<<<<

Welcome from Chef Kevin

>> Welcome from Chef / Owner Kevin Wagner<<

Hi there! I hope this issue finds you well. Hey, the weekend's
here, so that's one thing to be thankful for :-) I'd also like to
welcome all our new "foodies". The family is getting pretty
big. Great to see so many friendly faces in the crowd!

This edition will be a little longer than my past ezines, but
we're going to cover a lot of ground.

This week I'm going to celebrate a sure sign of spring...
the maple syrup season. At least I think spring is out there
somewhere, under two feet of hard, crusty snow :-) I see the
taps in some maple trees around the area, so it can't be far off.

I've written an article that covers the history, background, and
production of maple syrup. I hope you enjoy it. I know Karen
will... she's one of my fellow "maple syrup addicts" :-)

Our recipe of the week is "Crispy Maple Spareribs". You gotta
try this one! I'll even throw in another one for dessert! It's my
low fat version of "Maple Creme Caramel" (Yes... Low Fat :-)

We're going to take a look at another great cookbook, also
featuring... you guessed it, maple syrup :-)

Let's not forget about our chef demos and upcoming cooking
classes. Don't miss the schedule below...

Everybody ready? Good... off to the kitchen then! I've been
known to ramble a bit, so bear with me, please :-)

*Warning: Chef Kevin has been known to babble on about topics
that strike a chord, or a nerve, within his spirit. While his views may
be sometimes unique, they are never ill-intentioned, and are
presented solely for the purpose of enlightening his readers and
helping them achieve success in their cooking endeavors. Chef
Kevin claims no responsibility for the content nor the occasional
long-windedness of any of his replies or writings.* :-)

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>>>>>>>>>>>>> Featured Article <<<<<<<<<<<<<

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"Maple Syrup - Mother Nature's Gift"
by Chef Kevin Wagner

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It's that wonderful time of the year again. The days
are getting a little longer, and the early signs of spring
are starting to show. With the cold nights and warmer
days, of course, the sap is running in the maple trees.
It's maple syrup season once again.

Local "sugar bushes" (the name of a syrup farm) have
begun to produce the nectar that we, as Canadians and
North Americans, have come to know and adore. There
is nothing that can compare to the taste of pure,
unadulterated maple syrup.

Making this precious treat is an arduous process, from
tapping the trees and collecting the maple sap, through
the long boiling time and bottling the product. Although
I have made my own in the past, I no longer take the
time to produce my own syrup. That doesn't mean I don't
still use and enjoy it regularly, though :-)

Maple syrup has been produced by Native Americans
since time immemorial. They would cut a gash in the bark
with their hatchet, place a large chip in the cut, and let the
sap collect in bark bowls at the base of the tree. This
would be poured into hollowed out logs, and boiled down
by repeatedly throwing in hot rocks from the fire.

An alternate method they used, was to let the sap freeze
overnight, and throw away the ice in the morning. After
repeating this process a few times, they would have pure
syrup, still considered by many to be the highest quality.

When our forefathers came to this land, it was the only
sugar they had to use, and thankfully adopted the process.
In our cold Northern climate, sugar beets or canes
couldn't grow, so it was the only sweetener they had until
about 1875.

The collection of sap was, and is, very time-consuming.
This task was made easier in the 1940's by running tubing
from the trees downhill to the "sugar shack". This paved
the way for large scale, commercial production, and
continues to this day.

After collection, the sap is boiled in large, flat vats until
it reaches the desired consistency. It is then bottled for
sale, or boiled further to produce maple sugar, which can
be granulated and stored like regular cane sugar. In fact,
Native Americans were known to do this as well.

Maple syrup is produced in all North Eastern provinces in
Canada, and colder, northern states in the U.S. The major
producer by far is Quebec in Canada, who produced
15,600,000 liters in 2001, nearly four times as much as
all U.S. states combined. Great syrup is also produced
locally, right here in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia.

It may seem very expensive compared to other sweeteners,
but considering the labor involved, it's pretty good value.
The price per gallon of syrup has always been about the
daily wages of a farm worker, and remains in that range
to this day. Also, it takes 35-40 liters of sap to make one
liter of syrup, another factor in the price.

Maple syrup is graded by legislation in these categories:

Grade AA- Canada #1: Very light; very delicate flavour
Grade A- Canada #1: Light; delicate flavour
Grade B- Canada #1: Medium; distinct flavour
Grade C- Canada #2: Amber; strong flavour
Grade D- Canada #3: Dark; very strong flavour

Although it's traditional, maple syrup is not just for
pancakes and French toast. Use it to add new life to:

• ham, pork and chicken
• glazed carrots, squash, etc.
• baked beans
• tea, coffee, milkshakes
• desserts....

Also, in this age of health-consciousness, remember that
maple syrup is all natural. After all, it's the life of the tree.
Doesn't it make sense to be good for you, too? It contains
potassium, calcium, iron, and other essential minerals and
amino acids that are necessary for our good health.

Yum... even more reasons to enjoy it!

So there you go, a little background into my favorite
sweetener. Pick yourself up some and experiment with it.
A word of caution, however, you'll probably become an
addict like me :-)

Yours in Food & Friendship,
Chef Kevin

Kevin Wagner is Chef/Owner of "Cooking Solutions",
providing personal culinary assistance and helpful,
friendly advice. From catering services to cooking
lessons, recipes to cookbooks... visit the web's
friendliest food site at:
http://www.cooking-solution.com

Email ChefKevin@cooking-solutions.com with
questions or response to this article.

*Reprint of this article granted with contact information intact*

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>>>>>>>>>>>> Recipe of the Week <<<<<<<<<<<<

Crispy Maple Spareribs

Serves 4 - 6:

Ingredients:

3 lbs. lean pork spareribs
6 fl.oz. pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon chili sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Method:

Par-boil ribs in salted water for 20-30 minutes until tender.

Roast ribs on a foil-lined and greased pan in a pre-heated oven at 400F for 20-30 minutes.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a pan and bring to boil
for 5 minutes. Remove ribs from oven and reduce heat to 350F.
Cover ribs with the sauce. Bake uncovered for a further 30
minutes, basting frequently, until well browned and coated..

Serve with a green salad.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Low Fat Maple Creme Caramel

Serves 6:

Ingredients:

½ cup white sugar
2 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. maple syrup
2 cups 2% milk
4 eggs
½ cup maple syrup
½ tsp. salt

Method:

Lightly butter or spray 6 - 4 oz. Ramekins.

Pre-heat oven to 325.

Place sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan over
medium heat. When sugar has dissolved, cook over
medium-high until it turns a light amber colour. Remove
from heat and immediately stir in the 2 tbsp. maple syrup.
It will bubble up, but continue to stir in. Immediately spoon
evenly into each ramekin. Work fast, it hardens quickly.

Heat the milk in a small pan until a film forms on top. Do
not boil. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs
and the second amount of maple syrup until well blended.
Continue whipping while adding warm milk.

Pour this mixture into the ramekins. Place ramekins on a
wire rack set inside a baking pan. Fill the pan half-way up
the sides with hot water.

Bake for 40 minutes until barely set. Custards will set more
after they cool. Remove from pan, and chill for several hours
in the fridge.

To un-mold, run a sharp around the sides of the ramekins,
and invert onto a small serving plate.

NOTE: You can substitute skim or soy milk in this recipe.

You can find this, and many more in our online cookbook at.
Just click on "recipes".

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>>>>>>>>>>>> Cookbook Review <<<<<<<<<<<<

"Very Maple Syrup"

Author: Jennifer Thompson

ISBN# 1587611813

Now Only $9.50 CDN
at: Chapters.ca

Publisher's Overview:

During winter months in Vermont, New York, and Canada,
while little else is harvested, holes are bored into maple trees
and their clear, sweet liquid pours into ready buckets. It's called
"sugar season," and it's the beginning of what will soon make
many a breakfast, entree, and dessert around the world deliciously
smokey and sweet. In VERY MAPLE SYRUP, Jennifer
Thompson showcases this unique ingredient with recipes like
Maple Cinnamon Rolls, Pulled Pork with Maple BBQ Sauce,
Cornmeal Cupcakes with Maple Frosting, and Rhubarb-Maple
Tart.
Long ago, North American Indians first taught the European
colonists how collect sap and boil it down to maple syrup. Today,
Thompson will teach you how to thoroughly enjoy this sugary
nectar of the forest.

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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Quick Tip <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

"Liaison"- Thickening with Eggs

Basically, a "Liaison" is a thickening agent made of eggs and
milk or cream, that is used for soups, sauces, custards, etc.

If you whip raw, cold eggs into your hot liquid to be thickened,
you stand a good chance to have bits of scrambled egg in your
dish. The way to avoid this is with a liaison.

Simply whip your eggs in a bowl, then add a bit of the hot
liquid to them, whipping constantly. You can then add them
into the hot liquid, whipping or stirring constantly, without
fear of them scrambling or lumping.

A little prevention goes a long way :-)

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>>>>>>>>>>> Our Featured Sponsor <<<<<<<<<<<

E.D. Foods is a Canadian company that supplies quality soups
and sauces, and of course, Quebec maple syrup. If you can't
find your's easily, they can fill your order, in any size you need.

Get your's here:

http:www.edfoods.com

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>>>>>> Upcoming Cooking Class Schedule <<<<<<

Annapolis Save Easy Chef Demo:
Saturday, March 27, 2004 2 - 4:30 pm.
"Tastes of the Mediterranean"
Featuring: Eggplant Parmesan, Herbed Couscous, and more...

Digby Superstore - Monday March 29, 2004 6 - 8 pm.
"World Ski- British Columbia"

Call Customer Service at 245-4108 to register or email me:
classes@cooking-solutions.com

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Thank you so much for your time, it's been fun! If you enjoyed
this issue, spread the word! Who couldn't use a little of Chef
Kevin in their emailbox :-)

Until next time.... have a great day, and Happy Cooking!!!

Yours in Food & Friendship,
Chef Kevin
Chef / Owner of Cooking Solutions

Kevin Wagner is Chef/Owner of Cooking Solutions, catering, teaching, and consulting services located in Bear River, Nova Scotia. Email: ChefKevin@cooking-solutions.com in response to this article or other questions.

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"Your Easy Eatin' E-zine"

>>>>>>>>>>>> Table of Contents <<<<<<<<<<<<

>> Welcome from Chef / Owner Kevin Wagner<<

>>>>>>>>>>>>> Featured Article <<<<<<<<<<<<<

>>>>>>>>>>>> Recipe of the Week <<<<<<<<<<<<

>>>>>>>>>>>> Cookbook Review <<<<<<<<<<<<

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Quick Tip <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

>>>>>>>>>>> Our Featured Sponsor <<<<<<<<<<<

>>>>>> Upcoming Cooking Class Schedule <<<<<<

>>>> Copyright and Unsubscribe Information<<<<

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