MAPLE CRANBERRY BREAD PUDDING

If you haven't already noticed, I tend to bake a lot.  It appears I have a bit of a sweet tooth!  So here I go again, posting another recipe for a dessert.  I'm still making my way through that bag of wild cranberries in my freezer, so I made a delicious bread pudding sweetened with my ultimate favorite thing, maple syrup.  Good thing we had a pint of Rice Dream Vanilla frozen dessert in the freezer, because if there is one thing that this bread pudding screams for, it's vanilla ice cream.  I've got to be honest, this dessert is really good.  So good, I had three helpings.  Seriously.  

MAPLE CRANBERRY BREAD PUDDING

8 ounces thinly sliced organic bread (I used the the Boulangerie la Vendeenne's Organic Spelt bread leftover from lunch)

organic butter

2 cups organic whole milk 

2 organic eggs

2/3 cup local maple syrup

1/4 tsp pure organic vanilla extract

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup local wild cranberries

Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Butter a 2 quart baking dish, set aside.  Bake the bread on a cookie sheet until it is dry, about 12 minutes.

     In a bowl, whisk the milk together with the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla and salt.  Tear the bread into chunks and add to the bowl, along with the cranberries, stir until the bread is coated and begins to soak up the milk.  Pour the bread into the baking dish.  Let stand at least 10 minutes, or in the fridge until you are ready to bake it.

     Dot the surface of the pudding with little dabs of butter, and bake about 30 minutes.  

SUGARING TIME

As you may have noticed, I love maple syrup.  I use it whenever possible, and love substituting it for sugar whenever I can in recipes.  Our house is always stocked with it, and in fact, I start to get anxious when we run out.  So, it only makes sense that we would try our hand at harvesting our very own sap to make maple syrup.  To our dismay, we only have three (small) maples on our property.  That hasn't stopped us from purchasing three spiles and tapping away.  Going around to each tree to empty the buckets of sap is one of the highlights of my day.  Right now, all the sap is gathering in our fridge until the weekend when the big boil down occurs.......

Did you know that maple sap makes for a refreshing beverage right out of the tree?  Oh indeed!  And so even without a chemical analysis of it, I can pretty much guarantee it is full of electrolytes and life giving energy to give you just the boost you need this spring.  If drinking it straight up isn't your thing, try replacing it for water in your favorite recipes....oatmeal, coffee, tea and more!

MAPLE WALNUT ICE CREAM

All I can do is dream of the day when Scott and I get a cow or some goats.  Committing to a plastic free lifestyle has enhanced this desire even more because plastic free organic dairy products are non existent around these parts.  So, until then I am still going to buy organic milk in a carton, which is at least recyclable, and make our yogurt and tonight, ice cream!  I've had some maple walnuts floating around in our freezer for over a year.  What better way to use them up than in this delicious ice cream?

MAPLE WALNUT ICE CREAM

4 organic egg yolks

2/3 cup local maple syrup

1 tsp organic unbleached flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup organic half and half or 18% cream

1 cup organic whole milk

1/2 tsp organic vanilla

1/2 cup organic maple walnuts (recipe follows)

Method:  In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, maple syrup, flour and sea salt.  Set aside.  In a saucepan over medium low heat, bring cream and milk to a simmer.  Gradually whisk into the egg mixture.  Return mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring often until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Cool to room temperature.  Stir in vanilla, cover and refrigerate until completely cold or overnight.

Transfer to an ice cream maker and follow your manufacturer's directions.  Add maple walnuts in the last 5 minutes of freezing

MAPLE WALNUTS

3 cups organic walnuts

1/4 cup maple sugar

1 tsp coarse sea salt

1/4 tsp organic ground cinnamon

1/8 cup brandy

1 Tbsp pure vanilla

1/2 cup local maple syrup

1 Tbsp organic unsalted butter

Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Spread walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet, toast in oven, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 10 minutes.  Let cool completely.

Combine maple sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; set aside.  In a large, deep skillet, combine brandy, vanilla, maple syrup and butter.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.  Stir in nuts, and continue cooking, stirring, until skillet is almost dry, about 3 minutes more.

Remove from heat, and immediately add reserved sugar mixture to hot nut mixture.  Toss until well coated.  Spread nuts out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let cool completely.  Store nuts in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks or freeze for 6 months to one year.

MAPLE STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING with Vanilla Ice Cream

     My in-laws were coming by to pick up my son for a sleep over and were staying for supper. I had already planned to make a casserole for supper, but now I had an excuse to make a dessert! And what a dessert it was. Maple Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream.  After my third piece of this heavenly concoction I have decided that this is my absolute favorite dessert.  Everyone should try this once before they die.  That's how good it is.

     Rather than bake the maple date cake in a square pan, I thought using a muffin tin would work really nicely, making individual portions that plate nicely once you cut the top off.  The caramel sauce was a bit on the thin side when hot, so I recommend you let it cool to a nice thick consistency before spooning over the cake and ice cream.  In fact, make it the day before, refrigerate and just spoon on top of the warm pudding.

     Next to the dessert, our main course pales in comparison. It's not a pretty dish, but very tasty, and a great way to use millet!

CARROT MILLET CASSEROLE

1 cup organic millet, cooked in 2 cups water until light and fluffy

4 cups organic carrots, shredded

6 Tbsp e.v olive oil

6 Tbsp organic tamari

4 cloves organic garlic, smashed and minced

2 tsp dry marjoram or 1 Tbsp fresh

1 pound organic firm tofu, crumbled

10 Tbsp nutritional yeast

2 organic onions, chopped

1/2 cup fresh organic parsley, chopped

Method: Combine all ingredients in a covered casserole dish. Bake at 350* for 40 mins.

MAPLE STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING

1/2 cup organic unsalted butter, softened

8 oz pitted dates

1/2 cup light rum or water

1 cup organic all purpose flour

1 cup organic whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground organic cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup maple sugar

2 organic eggs

Toffee Sauce:

2 Tbsp organic butter

1/4 cup maple sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

1/3 cup organic whole milk

Method: Preheat oven to 450*. Butter 12 cupcake spots in a pan, or a square 8" pan. Combine the dates, rum and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and then simmer for a couple of minutes until the dates are soft. Remove from heat and use a hand blender to puree. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the flours, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and baking soda in a bowl. Whip the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scrape the bowl and then add flour alternatively with the date mixture in 3 additions. Scoop into the pan and bake for about 2-25 minutes. 

Make the sauce by combining the butter, sugar and syrups together in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook one more minute. Remove from heat and let cool until thick. Serve the sauce over the pudding.

Oatmeal Blueberry Pancakes

These pancakes get made very often in our house.  Whole grain goodness, made even better with the addition of blueberries.  Great topped with maple syrup, fruit jam or applesauce. Sometimes I even add a wee bit of spirulina to the batter too.

OATMEAL BLUEBERRY PANCAKES

1 cup organic oats

1 1/4 cup organic whole milk (you can also use rice/soy milk)

1/2 cup organic whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of sea salt

1 organic egg

2 tsp organic vegetable oil

1 Tbsp milled organic flax seed

1/2 cup organic fresh or frozen blueberries

1 Tbsp maple syrup

organic butter

Method: Combine the oats and milk in a mixing bowl and allow to stand and soak for 10 minutes.  Whisk in the egg, oil and maple syrup.  Sift in the flour, baking powder and sea salt. Stir in the flax seed and blueberries.

     Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Add a dab of butter to pan, swirl it around and then pour in about 1/4-1/2 cup batter, shake pan to distribute the batter and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the edges begin to dry out a bit and little bubbles start to form on the surface.  Flip and cook the other side 1-2 minutes.  Serve hot!