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…a tough winter
Springtime, at last! What a tough winter we all have endured. Definitely the most snow and winter-like conditions that I can remember in a very long time. Our fine old Fisher wood burning stove got quite a workout. We enjoyed a nice fire quite often, and the wood cutting and splitting didn’t hurt me a bit, of course. Still, the warmer temperatures and early blooming bulbs seem particularly welcome this spring.
…twelve thousand eggs!
Early spring means Easter celebrations of all kinds, ranging from the devout gathering for religious expression to the traditional family feasts, usually on Easter Sunday afternoon. Even the President of the United States, on the Monday after Easter, holds an annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House Lawn for young children. Walter Scheib, who was Executive White House Chef from 1994 to 2005, recalls that at his first such event they hard-boiled and dyed approximately twelve thousand eggs!
...one of the more dicey challenges
For many of us, Easter brought new clothes, the delight of egg decoration, egg hunts and a truly grand meal with the extended family. As I recall, one of the more dicey challenges was to keep the new duds clean while still enjoying the egg hunts, although our eggs numbered a few dozen, not twelve thousand.
…children were usually seated at their own table
Almost always, the menu featured ham, deviled eggs and luscious desserts. Our table was always set with the most beautiful settings, some of which seemed only to appear for this particular occasion. Younger children were usually seated at their own table, which was probably more fun anyway.
…we sort of “Tom Sawyer” family and friends
This year our own family celebration will center on our annual garden planting party. This is an event where we sort of “Tom Sawyer” family and friends to help us jump start our garden preparations and hopefully enjoy fine spring weather. (We are planting all heirloom varieties this year and will let you know how it goes.) This will be a very informal event for us, quite unlike the dressy Easters of my youth.
…at least a little creativity
Therefore in planning a menu this year, I still wanted to reflect tradition, but also to prepare foods with at least a little creativity using some of the great Avanti Savoia products. Here’s our plan…and all of the recipes are available on our Avanti Savoia Website.
…beautiful and really, really delicious
OK, we’ve got bright spring colors, the required Deviled Eggs, Potato Salad, Glazed Ham with a regional touch and a recent creation, Strawberry Tiramisu. The Tiramisu is hardly the traditional version, but it is beautiful and really, really delicious. There will be a lace tablecloth made by my Grandmother, my Mother’s crystal, a 1940’s era Deviled Egg Dish and loving memories of Easters past. Best of all will be the gathering of family and friends sharing this springtime ritual, yet once again. We hope your holiday is as bright and bubbly as a cup of Champagne Punch.
Hotcakes Maple flavored syrup was a familiar breakfast staple on most American tables when I was a child. The tins decorated like log cabins (Log Cabin was the brand, of course) were a favorite toy when emptied of their sticky contents and are considered serious collectables today. I believe that I remember having one with a slot in the lid to be used as a coin bank. In those days we didn’t think to question the container or the nature of the syrup, it simply was. We enjoyed it on biscuits, waffles and my father’s Sunday evening special pancakes, which he called “hotcakes.”
…maple flavored pancake syrup is not at all the same as pure maple syrup. It was my early interest in natural foods, which led me to realize that maple flavored pancake syrup, is not at all the same as pure maple syrup. Pancake syrup is actually for the most part, corn syrup. I also learned that pure maple syrup is indeed an all natural product without preservatives. This can be an expensive lesson, as the costly authentic syrup will mold and be unfit for consumption if stored for very long at room temperature. This was a problem that we never had to confront in storing the flavored pancake syrup.
White refined sugar was not only rare, but extremely expensive… The native populations of Northeastern America were well versed in the production of maple sugar, a skill soon learned and improved on by the French and English emigrants. Many tribes of Native Americans returned each year to their ancestral groves specifically to harvest the running sap. Catching sap in birch bark bowls and employing primitive methods of boiling out the water, Indian tribes were able to manufacture the first sugar produced in America. White refined sugar was not only rare but extremely expensive, making the “Indian sugar” somewhat vital to the white settlers.
…40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of pure maple syrup. There are many varieties of maple trees, but it is the Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) that is the most prized for its delectable sap. Today, the state of Vermont leads in U.S. production of maple syrup, although several other states do produce syrup as well. An estimated half million gallons of pure syrup is produced annually in Vermont. A particularly impressive statistic when you consider that it takes about 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of pure maple syrup.
"sugar shacks and sugar bushes” Maple sap is approximately 98% water and 2% sugar. To produce pure syrup, water content is removed from the sap by “boiling off” to a concentrate of 60% sugar. This is accomplished in what are known as “sugar shacks” or “sugar houses.” The sap itself is obtained by tapping mature maple trees. The groves of maple trees are known as a “sugar bush or sugar bushes.” Tapping does not begin until maple trees are about 40 years old and at least 10 inches in diameter. Interestingly, the process does not damage the trees, although a new tap hole must be made each season. Generally, tapping occurs during the months of January and February. The weather must cooperate by alternating between freezing and thawing to induce the sap to flow.
…enormous amounts of fragrant steam. The boiling usually begins sometime in March and the season is very short, lasting only 4 to 6 weeks. Traditionally, tapping is achieved by drilling into the trunk of the tree and inserting a tap with a downward angled spout. Buckets are hung on the spout and the running sap fills the buckets. These buckets are then collected and combined in the “sugar house” to begin the extensive boiling process. The sugar house must be well vented to accommodate the enormous amount of fragrant steam. Commercial operations now often employ modern plastic tubing to transport the raw sap to the sugar house, making the process far more efficient, as well as resulting in the freshest and cleanest sap.
…the opportunity to watch maple syrup being made… The Ninth Annual Vermont Maple Open House Weekend will be held at sugarhouses throughout Vermont, March 26-28, 2010. The Open House Weekend is the public celebration of the maple syrup season in Vermont and an opportunity for the public to visit one or more "sugarhouses" throughout the state. Activities during Open House Weekend will be different at each sugarhouse but will include the opportunity to watch maple syrup being made (weather permitting) and often sample maple products. For more information visit www.vermontmaple.org
…strictly enforced maple grading law… What makes Vermont maple syrup special? According to The Official Vermont Cookbook, “Vermont has a strictly enforced maple grading law controlling standards of density, flavor and color. The grade of maple syrup must be plainly and correctly marked on each container, along with the name and address of the producer. Vermont’s maple law requires syrup to be free from any preservatives or other additives and this law is enforced by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture.”
The Four Vermont Maple Syrup Grades:
Vermont Fancy Light amber color and a delicate maple bouquet. A mild maple flavor, excellent on foods such as ice cream which permit its subtle flavor to be appreciated. Grade A Medium Amber Medium amber color and a pronounced maple bouquet. Characteristic maple flavor, that is popular for table and all around use. Great on pancakes and French toast. Grade A Dark Amber Dark amber color and a robust maple bouquet. This hearty maple flavor is very popular for table and all around use. It is often used to add flavor when cooking. Vermont Grade B The strongest and darkest grade of maple syrup. Primarily used for cooking and also popular for the table. This grade makes a great substitute for other sugars in baking.
Highland Sugarworks Avanti Savoia’s supplier for this unique treasure is Highland Sugarworks, located deep in the heart of Vermont’s Green Mountains. In addition to their own syrup, they also purchase syrup from other family sugar makers, helping to sustain family owned farms throughout New England.
Enjoy the wonderful flavor of maple in these recipes courtesy of our friends at Highland Sugarworks.
PURE MAPLE CANDY Deb Frimodig, Highland Sugarworks
2 cups Fancy Maple Syrup (Grade A Light Amber) Using a nonstick pot, boil maple syrup to 325, stirring the foam occasionally to prevent boiling over. Remove pot from heat, leaving the thermometer in place. Do not stir after removing from heat. Cool to 175 (approx. 10 min.). Beat continuously with wooden spoon until syrup until syrup is lighter in color and loses some of its “shine”, approx 3-4 mins. Do not overheat, as this will cause the candy to harden before pouring into molds or pan. Immediately pour into rubber molds or non-stick 8″ square pan sprayed with Pam. When cool, cut with knife and store up to one month - if it lasts that long!
Simple Maple Soy Marinade Jim Close, Highland Sugarworks
1 cup Maple Syrup (your choice of grade) Add soy sauce to your taste
*Great to marinate on chicken or fish
Second Image courtesy of: Gesse and Mandy at Maple Hill Farm Whitingham, Vermont Photo by Don Lockhart/Perceptions, Inc.
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