Maple Walnut Scones
(yields 8 scones, best served warm)
3 cups flour, 1.5 tbsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 cup butter, 2 eggs, beaten, 1/2 cup dark maple syrup, 1/3 cup heavy cream, 1 cup chopped walnuts. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a cookie sheet. Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bolw, blending with a whisk. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, blend in syrup and cream. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and add wet ingredients all at once. Mix in walnuts. Stir until just blended. Gather the dough into a ball and roll out between 2 pieces of waxed paper until in a circl 1 1/2" thick. Cut into 8 pie shaped pieces. Place on cookie sheet and brush tops with syrup. Bake 20 min.
Connor's Blue-Ribbon Maple-Pecan Mousse
Connor took first prize at the Heath Fair for Best Maple Dessert with this recipe!
Makes 8-10 servings.
9 egg yolks at room temperature
3/4 cup medium amber maple syrup
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, cold
3 egg whites at room temperature
A pinch of cream of tartar
About 2 cups maple-roasted pecans
To prepare the nuts, spread about 1 1/2 cups of pecans on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together 1/3 cup medium amber syrup and 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan and warm mixture slowly until butter melts. Add the roasted nuts to saucepan and stir over low heat until nuts are fully caramelized. Spread nuts out on baking sheet and let them cool completely. Coarsely chop nuts (this can be done in food processor). Set aside.
Beat the egg yolks in a bowl until they form a slowly dissolving ribbon when the beaters are lifted. Transfer to the top of a double boiler and whisk over simmering water until the mixture is very thick (about 3 minutes). Remove and cool.
Beat the cream until stiff. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff but not dry. Gently fold the whipped cream into the maple custard; then fold in the egg whites and finally, the nuts. Spoon the mousse into individual serving dishes and refrigerate for 3 hours.
Italian Steeped Fruit
Steep raspberries, strawberries or favorite fruit in balsamic vinegar with Berkshire Sweet Gold to taste.
Figs and Cheese
Serve dried figs, sliced in half, with Stilton cheese and drizzled with Balsamic vinegar and maple syrup (we suggest Black Amber).
Banana Fritters
A simple dish with intense, classy flavors.
Per person: 1 banana in 2 halves dipped in fritter batter (pancake mix, milk & egg works well), or wrapped in wonton wrapper, then pan fried golden brown in hot, light oil and served under vanilla ice cream drizzled with Berkshire Sweet Gold. Cinnamon or chocolate shavings optional.
Berkshire Sweet Gold Baklava
It’s incredible and worth the effort. Baklava keeps well in or out of the freezer!
For the baklava: 2 cups (8 oz) walnuts, finely chopped or ground in food processor, 1 tsp cinnamon, 6 tbsp Berkshire Sweet Gold, 16 thawed square phyllo sheets (if you’re using the large sheets, cut in half to size of pan) 4 tbsp butter
For the finishing sauce: ½ cup Berkshire Sweet Gold, 1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice, 1 tsp grated orange zest
Preheat oven to 350 B F. Have ready an 8x8x2" pan. In medium bowl, combine walnuts and cinnamon. Add 5 tbsp Berkshire Sweet Gold and stir until nuts are evenly moistened Set aside. Remove phyllos from package, cut if necessary and cover with plastic and damp dishtowel. Keep phyllo covered as you work. Using pastry brush, lightly brush bottom of pan with melted butter. Place two phyllo squares in pan and brush top with melted butter. Add two more sheets and brush these with butter. Spread 1/3 of nut mixture evenly over phyllo. Repeat entire process 2 times so that you have four sections of layered pastry. Drizzle remaining 1 tbsp of Berkshire Sweet Gold over the pastry and spread evenly. Sprinkle top with ½ tsp cinnamon.
Using a sharp knife, mark 16 squares by cutting through the top layer of pastry. Bake about 30 min. until top is golden brown. Cut through marked pieces to bottom of pan and transfer to wire rack to cool.
For the finishing sauce: combine Berkshire Sweet Gold, orange juice and zest in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and spoon mixture over baklava. Let it cool completely before serving.
Frozen Maple Banana Dessert
Combine four ripe bananas, 2 tbsp. Baker's cocoa powder, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth and spoon into custard cups and freeze 2-4 hours.
(yields 8 scones, best served warm)
3 cups flour, 1.5 tbsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 cup butter, 2 eggs, beaten, 1/2 cup dark maple syrup, 1/3 cup heavy cream, 1 cup chopped walnuts. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a cookie sheet. Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bolw, blending with a whisk. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, blend in syrup and cream. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and add wet ingredients all at once. Mix in walnuts. Stir until just blended. Gather the dough into a ball and roll out between 2 pieces of waxed paper until in a circl 1 1/2" thick. Cut into 8 pie shaped pieces. Place on cookie sheet and brush tops with syrup. Bake 20 min.
Connor's Blue-Ribbon Maple-Pecan Mousse
Connor took first prize at the Heath Fair for Best Maple Dessert with this recipe!
Makes 8-10 servings.
9 egg yolks at room temperature
3/4 cup medium amber maple syrup
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, cold
3 egg whites at room temperature
A pinch of cream of tartar
About 2 cups maple-roasted pecans
To prepare the nuts, spread about 1 1/2 cups of pecans on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together 1/3 cup medium amber syrup and 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan and warm mixture slowly until butter melts. Add the roasted nuts to saucepan and stir over low heat until nuts are fully caramelized. Spread nuts out on baking sheet and let them cool completely. Coarsely chop nuts (this can be done in food processor). Set aside.
Beat the egg yolks in a bowl until they form a slowly dissolving ribbon when the beaters are lifted. Transfer to the top of a double boiler and whisk over simmering water until the mixture is very thick (about 3 minutes). Remove and cool.
Beat the cream until stiff. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff but not dry. Gently fold the whipped cream into the maple custard; then fold in the egg whites and finally, the nuts. Spoon the mousse into individual serving dishes and refrigerate for 3 hours.
Italian Steeped Fruit
Steep raspberries, strawberries or favorite fruit in balsamic vinegar with Berkshire Sweet Gold to taste.
Figs and Cheese
Serve dried figs, sliced in half, with Stilton cheese and drizzled with Balsamic vinegar and maple syrup (we suggest Black Amber).
Banana Fritters
A simple dish with intense, classy flavors.
Per person: 1 banana in 2 halves dipped in fritter batter (pancake mix, milk & egg works well), or wrapped in wonton wrapper, then pan fried golden brown in hot, light oil and served under vanilla ice cream drizzled with Berkshire Sweet Gold. Cinnamon or chocolate shavings optional.
Berkshire Sweet Gold Baklava
It’s incredible and worth the effort. Baklava keeps well in or out of the freezer!
For the baklava: 2 cups (8 oz) walnuts, finely chopped or ground in food processor, 1 tsp cinnamon, 6 tbsp Berkshire Sweet Gold, 16 thawed square phyllo sheets (if you’re using the large sheets, cut in half to size of pan) 4 tbsp butter
For the finishing sauce: ½ cup Berkshire Sweet Gold, 1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice, 1 tsp grated orange zest
Preheat oven to 350 B F. Have ready an 8x8x2" pan. In medium bowl, combine walnuts and cinnamon. Add 5 tbsp Berkshire Sweet Gold and stir until nuts are evenly moistened Set aside. Remove phyllos from package, cut if necessary and cover with plastic and damp dishtowel. Keep phyllo covered as you work. Using pastry brush, lightly brush bottom of pan with melted butter. Place two phyllo squares in pan and brush top with melted butter. Add two more sheets and brush these with butter. Spread 1/3 of nut mixture evenly over phyllo. Repeat entire process 2 times so that you have four sections of layered pastry. Drizzle remaining 1 tbsp of Berkshire Sweet Gold over the pastry and spread evenly. Sprinkle top with ½ tsp cinnamon.
Using a sharp knife, mark 16 squares by cutting through the top layer of pastry. Bake about 30 min. until top is golden brown. Cut through marked pieces to bottom of pan and transfer to wire rack to cool.
For the finishing sauce: combine Berkshire Sweet Gold, orange juice and zest in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and spoon mixture over baklava. Let it cool completely before serving.
Frozen Maple Banana Dessert
Combine four ripe bananas, 2 tbsp. Baker's cocoa powder, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth and spoon into custard cups and freeze 2-4 hours.