Year after year, Quebecers get together around a delicious meal, in which the maple syrup is honoured to celebrate the sugaring season. Proud emblem of our culture, maple syrup can be used in a thousand different ways. To help you discover its amazing versatility, we’re suggesting 15 ways to savour it below!
1. Enhace your salad dressing
An ideal choice for adding a touch of sweetness to your favourite salad dressings, maple syrup pairs wonderfully with mustard. Add a few spoonfuls to your mixes or try the delicious maple mustard from Olive&Olives to quickly enhance your chicken and salmon!
2. Prepare your meat
Are you hosting a sugar shack-themed family dinner? Make your meat pieces shine with maple syrup’s lovely caramelization. You’d rather keep it simple? Boucherie La Supérieure offers a selection of ready-made maple-glazed ham and pork tenderloin.
3. Keep it traditional
Maple syrup is most often associated with breakfast menus and drizzled on crepes, pancakes or waffles. While there are many unusual yet delicious things you can do with this ingredient, there are times when you want something simple and classic. Crepinos Maple Syrup Pancake is perfect for those instances.
4. Decorate your home with gorgeous maple candies
To get in the sugar shack spirit, you could place a few maple candies throughout your home. Pick up some maple-flavoured rock candy and lollipops at Kandju and place them in a beautiful glass bowl for a cabin-like look that makes you want to square dance.
5. Treat yourself to a gourmet dinner
Maple syrup’s flavour depth does not go unnoticed in high-end kitchens. And for good reason! Its woody aroma adds a nostalgic and surprising twist to the best dishes. Les Enfants Terribles’ melting Brie and duck confit salad with endives and blue cheese will convince you!
6.Warm up with a hot toddy
The sugaring season is also the perfect time to enjoy horse-drawn carriage rides and snowshoeing. To warm up after enjoying some fresh air, try a hot toddy! This drink can be prepared like an herbal tea and will soothe you nicely after your outdoor activity. Ricardo’s boutique offers you a selection from L’Érablière Belfast.
7. Cheer up with a maple cocktail
Simple syrup, you say? How about maple syrup! Enhance your favourite cocktails with the woodsy aromas of our favourite ingredient. Not convinced yet? Try the Outremont Mojito offered at Les Enfants Terribles … you won’t regret it! It’s fresh, minty and just sweet enough.
8. Enjoy a delicious maple dessert
Treat yourself to a delicious maple dessert. You’ll find several options in Ricardo’s boutique. It’s perfect for a sweet treat for the whole family at home. Accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it will be the bomb!
9. Sweeten your vegan meals
Did you know that unlike honey, maple syrup is a natural vegan sugar? That’s right! In fact, LOV restaurant includes it on their menu! Let yourself be tempted by their Chick’n Waffle; a half waffle accompanied by fried oyster mushroom “chicken”, Buffalo sauce, red slaw with miso and spicy maple syrup. Yummy!
10. Make your life easier with a brunch box
Don’t feel like going to the sugar shack this year? Bring it home with Première Moisson’s Quebec-style brunch box! You’ll get delicious baked beans, an omelette, bacon slices and a bottle of maple syrup. Simple, delicious and affordable!
11. Make your own maple taffy on snow at home
A sugar shack trip without the famous maple taffy is like summer without sun—not as appealing. To treat the little kids (and the big kids too!), prepare your own activity of maple taffy on snow! All you need is maple syrup and clean snow.
12. Make a magical coffee
After preparing your favourite coffee, add an ounce of Coureur des bois cream—a locally produced alcoholic maple cream, sold at the SAQ. (Psst… Le Balthazar also makes an enhanced version, ideal as a late-night drink.)
13. Take a break with a specialty coffee
Staying away from alcohol? No worries, non-alcoholic maple and coffee combinations are just as delicious! Let yourself be tempted by Première Moisson’s maple latte on sale for the season.
14. Give maple syrup as a gift
Take advantage of the sugaring season to offer a sweet gift to your hosts. While the traditional bottle of wine is always appreciated, a bottle of maple syrup will truly make them happy!
15. Enjoy a refreshing fruit smoothie
To get the day off to a great start, add a touch of maple syrup to your favourite smoothie. The maple flavour complements many fruits: pears, peaches and bananas will be decadent all together. Allô ! Mon Coco offers you its “Peach and cream” smoothie to complement your morning meal!
1799 Av. Pierre-Péladeau
Laval, QC H7T 2Y5, Canada