Sitting in the back of your fridge is probably a lonely bottle of maple syrup, kept on hand for the few times a year you make pancakes or waffles and otherwise banished until the next brunch that you host.
Well, no more. These recipes will secure maple syrup’s place in your heart and kitchen. You might notice that I’m purposely leaving out most classic renditions, such as Silver Dollar Buttermilk-Pecan Pancakes with Bourbon Molasses Butter and Maple Syrup, because I’m trying to see how creative we can get with this pantry staple.
Happiness is Nadia G.’s Milk Chocolate Chip-Maple Syrup-Glazed Bacon Cookies (pictured above).
Try your hand at homemade jerky with Alaska Salmon Candy. Brown sugar, maple syrup, salt and liquid smoke combine for a sweet, savory and addictive snack.
This Filet Mignon Drizzle with a Maple Balsamic Reduction, Served with Sweet Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Parmesan Potato Croquettes has a few moving pieces, but will definitely impress. Long-aged[AUQ2] balsamic vinegar is a treat — it’s slightly sweet and syrupy and doesn’t have the intense “pucker factor” normally associated with vinegar. If you can’t find any, reduce balsamic vinegar with a few pinches of brown sugar until slightly syrupy to achieve the same flavor.
Roger Mooking balances the heat from fresh chiles and cayenne with sweet maple syrup in his Spiced Ground Beef and Grilled Japanese Eggplants with Maple Syrup Sauce.
Down-Home Sweet Potato Pie with Maple Syrup Meringue has holiday season written all over it. Achieve the golden-brown peaks on the meringue with a kitchen blowtorch or a carefully monitored oven set to broil.
Spice up weekday breakfasts with a quick compote: Maple Plum Compote with Walnuts and Vanilla Yogurt.
When you announce glazed carrots or root vegetables to guests, it sounds like you’ve mastered a hard technique, but they don’t have to know how simple it is. Try it out with Emeril’s Oh Yeah Baby Glazed Carrots or make a whole meal around the idea: Porchetta with Truffled Potatoes and Maple-Glazed Root Vegetables.
Torrejas are the Latin American version of French toast. Although you can skip the guava-maple syrup and settle for standard maple syrup in Bobby Flay’s Cuban Torrejas with Guava-Maple Syrup and Cream Cheese Whipped Cream, we think it really complements the dish.
Did you know that if you boil maple syrup for a while, stick the pan in some ice water and then beat the cooling syrup with an electric mixer, it all turns into maple butter? Now you do and you’re going to want to try it out immediately with Chuck Hughes’ Maple and Pecan Shortbreads.
Make fried chicken and waffles two incredibly inventive ways: Bobby Flay’s Fried Chicken and Wild Rice Waffles with Pink Peppercorn Butter and Maple-Horseradish Syrup and Allie and Georgia’s Waffle Chicken Sliders with Maple Butter.
Maple, bourbon and thyme come together in syrupy harmony with Sticky Maple Bourbon Chicken. Feel free to swap out the chicken breasts for pork or chicken legs/thighs.
Up your vitamin C levels this flu season (which also happens to coincide with citrus season) with Nadia G.’s Maple Pink Grapefruit Mimosas.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple-Cinnamon-Sage Brown Butter has all the flavors of the holidays but without the heaviness that normally characterizes holiday foods.
Try Waffle Nachos topped with maple whipped cream; you’ll never look at nachos the same again.
Maple sugar is what happens when you boil the sap from maple trees past the point of making maple syrup. You can mix it into tea or coffee, top cookies or bread with it, or use it to make this incredibly rich Maple Buttermilk Tart. Maple sugar is often sold at specialty food shops and some grocery stores.
When I’m eating breakfast at a diner or have whipped up a batch of Pancakes with Bacon and Maple Syrup, the first thing I do is dunk my bacon into the syrup; there’s just something so right about the sweet/salty contrast. Bobby Flay’s Black Pepper Popovers Filled with Vermont Cheddar and Herb Scrambled Eggs and Maple-Mustard Glazed Canadian Bacon take that idea and run with it, leaving you with no choice but to break out the popover tin.
Baked Croissant French Toast Casserole with Bacon and Bourbon-Infused Maple Syrup and Caramelized Shallot Hazelnut Butter is a mouthful, but you can’t tell me you don’t actually want a mouthful of it.
Perfect the art of barding — a technique that involves covering game or other meats in fat or bacon to maintain moisture and prevent overcooking — with Emeril’s Maple-Roasted Turkey with Sage, Smoked Bacon and Cornbread Stuffing.
Make Maple Pecan Baked Brie for when you need a quick party appetizer or have the house to yourself.
Vegan buttercream frosting for Vegan Banana Bread-French Toast Cupcakes is achieved using margarine and vegetable shortening.
Maple Bourbon Sweet Potato Pie is more of a custard than a traditional pie, so be careful not to overcook it. Pair simply with some slightly sweetened whipped cream or go big with Marshmallow Fluff!
Laura Calder’s Maple Mousse is a great make-ahead dessert; it comes together in just a few minutes and sets up in the fridge for at least 4 hours, leaving you lots of time to get dinner prepped and ready.
Maple-Nut Popcorn is as delicious as it sounds. Make a big batch and pass around bowls of it at your next party.
Utilize leftover roasted or poached chicken and dark amber maple syrup in Rachael Ray’s Tequila-Orange BBQ Chicken Burritos with Sharp Cheddar, Baked Beans and Red Cabbage.
Spicy Maple Fudge may be the best gift you can give your family this holiday season. Lining the baking pan with parchment paper is the best way to guarantee that you get the fudge out in one piece.
More 25 Ways:
25 Ways to Use Apples
25 Ways to Use Pork Butt
25 Ways to Use Cottage Cheese
25 Ways to Use Clams
25 Ways to Use Tahini