Oh My My Maple! Maple Deliciousness!

My visit to Sugar Moon Farm and the beautiful maple products I got there inspired me to explore some maple recipes and get creative in the kitchen. Having a boyfriend who doesn’t particularly ‘love’ maple syrup was going to make it tricky to cook with maple, or so I thought. I wanted to try savory and sweet applications for things like maple butter, maple mustard, and maple syrup. This is what I came up with!

Maple Mustard Pork Chops

I know I’m not the first person to make maple mustard pork or maple mustard ham. It’s a take on honey mustard and a ton of recipes exist. The original recipe I found came from the food network Canada blackberry app and it was this recipe for a Rack of Pork with Maple Glaze. I didn’t want the long process of baking the pork and glazing it over and over again so I looked at the glaze ingredients to see what I could do with it. What it all boils down to (literally and figuratively) is a super simple ratio: 2 parts maple syrup to 1 part each Dijon mustard and vinegar.  So here is what I did: 

Ingredients: 

1 Tbs Olive Oil/ Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 boneless pork loin chops
A pinch each of: salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder (or roasted garlic paste), thyme (optional, or you can also use rosemary)

1 Tbs butter
2 Tbs ‘Boates’ Apple Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbs Embers Maple Mustard with Peppercorns
4 Tbs Sugar Moon Maple Syrup 

In a mortar and pestle (or herb grinder), combine all dry seasoning ingredients and grind until fine. If you are using garlic paste, leave it out until after everything else is mashed up. You want your rosemary to be pretty broken up and for all of the seasonings to be well combined. If using garlic paste, add this last and mix well with dry seasonings. Rub seasoning mix over both sides of pork chops and set aside. 

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Sear both sides of pork chops. Then reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until pork is just cooked through. Sometimes, especially if the pork chops are thick, I like to add a splash of water and put a lid on the pot to create a steam environment that helps keep the pork juicy and still cooks it through. Remove pork chops to a plate and let rest.

Combine maple syrup, mustard, and vinegar. Add to hot skillet and deglaze pan. Reduce to about half, or whatever sauce consistency you like. This shouldn’t take too long. Add the knob of butter and let melt in- this makes the sauce even silkier and shinier, but it can be a step you leave out if you don’t want to add the extra fat/calories.  Add the pork chops and any juices that escaped onto the plate back to the sauce. Coat the pork chops in the sauce and make sure they are cooked through before serving.   

**Notes** I served this to my boyfriend with mashed potatoes and sautéed veggies and we both loved it. It would also be good with rice, or egg noodles, couscous, quinoa or even creamy or grilled polenta.  You can also play around with the specifics of the sauce ingredients. I used all local maritime ingredients, but you could switch it up to use whatever vinegars, syrups, or mustards you love, and make something truly special and unique out of a standard recipe. 

Cranberry Maple Oatmeal

Again, it’s probably not hard to figure out that dried cranberries and maple flavor would make anything taste better. The simplicity and how good this tastes has made me like oats again, so I feel the need to share. 

Ingredients:

¼ cup rolled oats
¼ cup dried cranberries
½ cup water
2 tsp maple butter
2 Tbs milk

In a microwave safe bowl, combine oats, cranberries and water. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, stir, and if the oats are not cooked to  your liking, add more water and pop back in the microwave for another minute or two, or until you like them! Top with a knob of maple butter and a splash of milk. Enjoy! 

This recipe is super versatile. For a bit of crunch you can add some slivered almonds or toasted coconut. If you don’t fancy cranberries you could use blueberries instead, or a combination of different fruits. You can also cook it on the stove top if you want/ have the time, just boil the water and then add the oats and stuff, and boil gently and stir until it’s done!

Last but not least, a strange and delicious experiment…. 

I was frantically searching for something delicious have at lunch. Hunger pain was setting in but I wanted something out of the ordinary and utterly satisfying. I thought about settling for a simple PB and J, but then a crazy idea struck me. PB and MB, and maybe some extra B.  Call it a P-B-M-B(B), a P-B-M, a P-M-B, or just delicious and weird. 

Peanut Butter and Maple Butter Sandwich P-B-M-B(B) 

Ingredients

Two slices of the bread of your choice
2 Tbs Peanut Butter
2 Tbs Maple Butter
¼ to ½ Banana, thinly sliced (optional)

Okay, you all should know how this goes down. You’ve got your two slices of bread out, on a plate or paper towel. Smear the PB on one slice, and the MB on the other slice. If you decide to add the Banana, it doesn’t really matter which slice you put it on, but I suggest laying the banana on the PB side and then topping it with the MB side of the second slice. I think it tastes better with the PB on the ‘bottom’ of the sandwich and MB on the ‘top’. Weird, I know. This sandwich will be awesome either way. Try it. It will blow your mind. 

If I teach anyone anything with this blog, I want to teach you this: Play With Your Food! Be weird. Try stuff that hasn’t been (knowingly) tried before. Explore ingredients that scare you or combinations that you think wouldn’t normally go together.