December 17, 2018

Candied Maple Bacon

Posted by HI Cookery under 12 December | Tags: , , , |
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Candied Maple Bacon

December 17: National Maple Syrup Day

Maple syrup and brown sugar on bacon? Oh my! This is a triple threat treat that is both savory and sweet at the same time. It is so irresistible just right out of the oven that we are too impatient to let the candied maple bacon slices cool to a crisp. This snack is definitely not for the health conscious so we rarely indulge on candied maple bacon—except on National Maple Syrup Day (and the upcoming National Bacon Day on December 30)!

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 pound thick cut bacon (we used maple flavor)
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • ½ cup brown sugar

Directions

Line a jelly roll/lipped baking pan with foil and place a wire rack in the middle. Cut the bacon in half and place the slices on top of the wire rack. Brush with maple syrup. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and turn over the bacon slices on the wire rack. Brush again with maple syrup and sprinkle with more brown sugar. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes more or until crisp. Watch carefully to make sure the bacon does not burn. Remove from the oven and immediately place the candied bacon on a sheet of waxed paper to prevent sticking to the wire rack as it cools. Serve at room temperature or reheat if desired.

Notes

  • In addition to December 30, some sources note that other bacon holidays include February 26 and September (the Saturday before Labor Day). These are additional days that we get to indulge in candied maple bacon!
  • Search our blog for other recipes that include maple syrup as an ingredient.
 

December 17, 2015

Maple Glazed Ribs

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Maple-Glazed Ribs

Maple Glazed Ribs

December 17: National Maple Syrup Day

After visiting Highlander’s relatives in Canada, we always bring back foodstuffs so we can savor the flavors from our North American neighbors when we are back in the United States. Maple products are popular, like syrup, cookies and candies, following the iconic leaf on the nation’s flag.

We got a can of Canadian maple syrup that we typically put on pancakes. It was a lot of syrup for just the two of us so we decided to try a recipe for ribs that featured a maple glaze. We are used to the southern-style BBQ ribs with its saucy marinades. But maple-glazed ribs were a nice change and they are perfect for a picnic in the summer and, with a hint of jalapeno heat in this recipe, hearty and heart-warming to eat during the colder seasons when National Maple Syrup Day is scheduled.

Recipe

Adapted from Endless Vacation magazine (Spring 2012)

Ingredients

  • 1 rack of pork baby back ribs
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • ¾ cup maple syrup
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons ginger, grated
  • 1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
  • 2 small limes, juiced

Directions

Line a lipped baking pan with foil to catch the drippings. Salt and pepper both sides of the ribs. Place meat side down. Make the maple glaze by mixing the maple syrup with garlic, ginger, japaleno and lime juice.

Maple Glazed Ribs

Brush the top and sides of the ribs with 1/3 of the glaze mixture. Cover the ribs with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully lift the foil and avoid escaping steam, turn the ribs over and brush another 1/3 of the glaze mixture on the meat side of the ribs. Cover again with foil and return to the oven to bake for another 30 minutes. Remove the ribs from the oven and discard the top foil. Turn up the oven’s heat to 375 degrees F. Baste with the remaining glaze, return the ribs to the oven and cook for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven again and continue to baste, spooning the darker drippings onto the ribs to give them some color. Bake for 15-20 more minutes. Remove from the oven, slice the ribs, put them on a platter and spoon some of the glaze drippings on the meat. Serve hot.

Maple Glazed Ribs

Notes

  • There are some burnt bits of maple glaze drippings on the baking pan. Mix this caramelized gooey goodness with the thinner meat juices and brush on the ribs to give them some color.
  • Serve these ribs for a summery Canada Day picnic on July 1.
  • Try the recipe for maple-glazed chicken for National Maple Syrup Day.
 

December 17, 2010

Maple-Glazed Chicken

Posted by HI Cookery under 12 December | Tags: , , , |
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Maple-Glazed Chicken

Maple-Glazed Chicken

December 17: National Maple Syrup Day

We bought a bottle of maple syrup from Bob’s Sugarhouse when we were in Maine visiting our goddaughter, Keira B., and her family a few summers ago. The rustic cabin had shelves lined with a variety of decorative glass containers, tins and plastic jugs filled with 100% Maine maple syrup and other fine maple and Maine products. The owner of the sugarhouse, Bob Moore, personally gave us a tour of the syrup-processing equipment behind the storefront.  He explained that it takes 30-40 gallons of maple sap to make just one gallon of syrup. Water from the sap must be filtered, boiled and evaporated until the syrup reaches proper density and a rich amber color.  The distinctive taste of maple is worth all the effort.

Bob's Sugarhouse

For National Maple Syrup Day, we made maple-glazed chicken with thyme and sweet potato hash using the 100% Maine maple syrup medium grade A amber that we bought at Bob’s Sugarhouse.

Recipe

(Adapted from Continental inflight magazine)

Ingredients

  • 6 chicken leg quarters
  • 1 cup olive oil, divided
  • 1 bunch fresh thyme
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 sweet potatoes, diced
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • ¾ cup pure maple syrup

Directions

Salt and pepper the chicken. Marinate in olive oil and a half bunch of thyme for two hours in the refrigerator. In a roasting pan, mix the sweet potatoes, onions and the other half bunch of thyme. Salt and pepper to taste.

Maple-Glazed Chicken

Place the chicken among the sweet potatoes and onions mixture, drizzling the rest of the olive oil marinade over the chicken and arranging the thyme on the top and sides. Pour the maple syrup over everything. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the top skin is browned. Drain oil and discard the baked thyme sprigs. Serve the chicken with the side of sweet potatoes and onions and garnish with a fresh sprig of thyme.

Maple-Glazed Chicken

Notes

  • We  reduced the recipe by a third to feed just the two of us (and save our pricey yet precious Maine maple syrup for another blog recipe).
  • Read an interview with Chef Robin Paula, creator of the above recipe, on the Continental Airlines website. We first saw her recipe printed in the July 2010 issue of the inflight magazine when we were flying from Hawaii back to the mainland after a short summer vacation.