Three Maple Recipes for the Sugaring Season

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March 2022 — The Woodlands Team has been busy tending sap lines and boiling this month as the temperatures warm to create the sugaring conditions we’ve been waiting for in the Northeast. New equipment is proving useful, as evident one recent early morning. Thanks to a new vacuum sensor monitoring system, the team received early notification that one of the main lines had no pressure (the red dot on the readout below.) They turned off the valve to the line so it wouldn't lower the vacuum pressure in the rest of the sugarbush, then found the cause of the problem and started in on clean up and line repairs. The situation was a great learning experience for the CVU Field & Forest students who were here studying sugaring that morning. 

And, of course, all that work pays off in the form of maple syrup! The Inn & Kitchen Team are sharing three recipes to make good use of this important product, of which Vermont is still the country’s leading producer, accounting for more than half of all maple syrup in 2020.

Maple Syrup Glazed Parsnips

Executive Chef John Patterson

Yield:  4 side portions

Ingredients

• 2 lbs parsnips (medium sized)
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• ¼ cup minced parsley
• 3 Tbsp toasted sesame seed

Method

1. Wash parsnips thoroughly and cut into bite sized pieces. Place in a medium sized mixing bowl.
2. In a small saucepan, combine maple syrup and rice wine vinegar. Set over medium heat to reduce volume by half. Transfer maple syrup mixture to the mixing bowl and toss with the parsnips.  
3. Place parsnips on a baking sheet and roast 350°F for 25 minutes until tender. Allow parsnips to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to the mixing bowl and season with salt, parsley, and sesame seeds.

Slow Roasted Maple Brined Lamb Shank

Executive Chef John Patterson

Yield: 4 entree sized portions

Ingredients

• 4 lamb hind shanks or 8 fore shanks

Brine

• 8 qt water
• 2 Tbsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 10 black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole 

Method

1. Bring all brining ingredients together in a 12 quart pot and bring to a simmer. Set aside and allow to cool.  Once brine is at room temperature, submerge lamb in brine and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours, but for no more than 48 hours.
2. Remove lamb shanks and discard brine. Season lamb lightly with salt and black pepper.  Place on a baking sheet (with a roasting rack if possible) and roast at 325° F for 2 hours or until the meat begins to contract away from the bone, forming more of a lollipop shape.

Maple Candied Walnuts

Head Pastry Chef Veronica Bartolacci

Yield:  2 cups

Ingredients

• 2 cups walnuts
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the walnuts onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and toast for 7 minutes. Allow to cool. 
2. Combine the maple syrup, salt, and pepper in a heavy bottom pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. 
3. Add your toasted walnuts to the pot. Stir with a rubber spatula so the walnuts become completely coated.
4. Continue stirring over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the maple syrup only sticks to  the walnuts and stops pooling at the bottom of the pot. 
5. Have a sheet tray lined with parchment paper ready, and spread the walnuts onto the tray. Keep gently stirring the walnuts around on the sheet tray so they don’t stick together. Allow to completely cool before eating.