A Merry Maple Holiday Menu

Recipes:

The holidays are a time to celebrate the warmth of friendship, the love of family and the joy of the season. And when it comes to the holiday meal, you want a menu to match the mood and make everyone feel at home.

Pure Canadian maple syrup is a versatile, all natural ingredient that adds complexity and depth to your holiday recipes. The flavorful, yet subtle sweetness in maple syrup brings out the best in savory dishes like a beautiful rib roast, succulent roasted root vegetables, and an almost decadent sweet potato purée. It's no surprise that maple's nutty, vanilla and spicy hints are the perfect complements for pumpkin mini tarts - but it may surprise you to see just how easy they are to make. Crown your holiday feast with hot maple cider the whole family can enjoy, or for a special grownup treat, kick it up a notch with a splash of tasty dark rum.

When shopping at the grocery store, be sure to look for "100% pure maple syrup" on bottle labels.


Maple Rib Roast
6 to 8 servings
    5     pound rib roast, bone-in
           Salt and pepper to taste
    1     cup maple syrup
    1/3  cup Dijon mustard
    2     tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
    2     tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
    2     tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
        Ready-made bordelaise sauce
        Rosemary sprig for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place roast, with bones side up, in roasting pan. Using a knife, make incisions in the fat. Season entire surface with salt and pepper. Cover ends of bones with aluminum foil. 

In bowl, combine maple syrup and mustard, and baste roast with mixture. In another bowl, combine herbs and pepper, then season entire roast. Roast for 30 minutes. 

Reduce temperature to 300°F and cook for another 2 hours until the meat is done, but still rare (around 135°F). Wrap roast in aluminum foil and let sit for 10 minutes prior to carving.

Garnish with rosemary. Serve with bordelaise sauce and Maple Caramelized Vegetables.

Maple Caramelized Vegetables
6 to 8 servings
    2     medium carrots, peeled
    2     medium parsnips, peeled
    1     sweet potato, peeled
    1     fist-size celery root, peeled
    1     zucchini
    1     tablespoon butter
    1/4  cup maple syrup
    1/2  cup broiled whole pecans
        Salt and pepper, to taste
        Pieces of maple sugar, to taste

Cut vegetables into julienne strips and steam all, except for zucchini, for 5 minutes. Add zucchini strips and steam for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. 

Melt butter in frying pan. Add maple syrup and cook for 1 minute while stirring.
Add vegetables and coat in maple sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. 

Serve vegetables with broiled pecans. Sprinkle with maple sugar pieces, if desired.

Sweet Potato Purée with Pecans and Maple Syrup
6 to 8 servings
  

    5     medium-size sweet potatoes
    1/2  cup butter
    1/2  cup maple syrup
    1/4  cup sour cream
    1     tablespoon chives, finely chopped
    1/2  cup oven-roasted whole pecans 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a knife, pierce sweet potatoes several times. Put on cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until soft. Remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes.

Peel sweet potatoes. Put in a food processor, along with butter, maple syrup and sour cream, and mix to obtain the consistency of a purée. Put purée in a bowl, add chives, and gently mix together.

Put roasted pecans on top and serve.

Hot Maple Cider
1 serving

    1     cup apple cider
    1     stick cinnamon for garnish
    4     to 5 thin slices fresh, peeled ginger
    5     whole allspice berries
    1     tablespoon maple syrup
    1     quarter of a lemon
    1 1/2    ounces dark rum (optional)
        Finely grated maple sugar and cinnamon (garnish for glass)

In saucepan, heat cider and spices. Let boil for 5 minutes. Add maple syrup. Remove from heat.
Rim a heat-proof glass or cup by running the lemon along its outside edge. Dip wet rim into a mixture of grated maple sugar and cinnamon. If desired, pour rum into cup.

Remove spices from cider and maple syrup mixture. Pour mixture into glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Pumpkin and Maple Syrup Mini Tarts
6 mini tarts

    6     3-inch unbaked, mini tart
            crust shells
    1     egg
    1     cup pumpkin purée
    1/3     cup maple syrup
    1/8     teaspoon ground ginger
    1/8     teaspoon ground cloves
    1/4     teaspoon ground nutmeg
    1/2     teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/2     cup whipping cream
        Maple syrup to taste

Preheat oven to 375°F. In bowl, beat egg with pumpkin purée and maple syrup. Add spices and cream. Mix well to obtain a consistent mixture. Pour mixture into crust shells. Bake in center of oven for 15 minutes, or until pumpkin mixture is firm. 

Whip cream with a splash of maple syrup (to taste) until stiff. Serve tarts hot or cold with a garnish of whipped cream, and sprinkle with maple sugar.

A Sweet Substitute
It is simple to substitute white sugar for an equal quantity of maple syrup in any recipe. For each cup of syrup, reduce the quantity of liquid ingredients in the recipe (water, milk or juice) by about a quarter of a cup.

For more flavorful ways to savor your holiday meals, visit the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup's website, www.purecanadamaple.com, and follow on Twitter @PureCanadaMaple.


Recipe Source: Quebec Maple Syrup