Maple Butter - Made Two Ways

Maple butter made without a candy thermometer.



Maple butter made with boiling syrup.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...There are small things that can make a meal memorable. Maple butter is one of them. Its most obvious use is on pancakes or waffles, but biscuits and cornbread, even dinner rolls, are taken to another level when spread with either of the butters we are featuring today. Both are easy to do, though one requires a boiled syrup. I know that some of you are uncomfortable working with sugar syrup, so a second recipe that requires no boiling is also being provided. In one of those contradictions that drive good cooks wild, the butter made with boiled syrup is the most flavorful but it's quite plain to look at. The easier recipe looks like a beauty queen. Whichever version you try, use real maple syrup. The imitation syrup will produce a butter that's not worthy of your time. Once you try maple butter I suspect it will become a staple in your home. I'm starting to use it as a butter replacement in coffee cakes and frostings. It is that good. Here are the two recipes.

Maple Butter I...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup butter

Directions:
1) Using a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat maple syrup until it reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 15 minutes. Stir in butter.
2) Pour mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until it is thick and creamy, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3) Pour into glass containers and refrigerate until required. Yield: 1-1/2 cups.

Maple Butter II...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1/2 cup softened butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Directions:
1) Combine butter and maple syrup in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Beat with paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
2) Spoon into jars, cover, and refrigerate. Yield: 3/4 cup.

Recipes courtesy of OSU Extension Service.

Thai Coconut Pancakes with Lime and Maple Syrup

We're planning another trek. Bob and I'll be heading back to Asia in February - Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos - and excited just begins to describe the way I feel. I'm getting restless again and my gypsy soul needs one last adventure to rein it in. I'm less rooted to place and things than most. What's important to me can be taken by the hand or tucked in the corners of memory to age like fine wine, so I have an open arms approach to the sights and sounds and tastes of unfamiliar places. I move and travel easily, am comfortable wherever I'm dropped and if Bob is with me I am home; it's been that way for nearly fifty years. I know that I've been blessed. As departure date approaches I moderate our diet so our palates will be ready for the street food of these countries. I gradually increase spice and heat and desserts, when we have them, become sweeter. With any luck we'll be set to eat our way through Asia like seasoned pros. These pancakes are sold by street vendors in Thailand as snacks, but they also make a great dessert for family and close friends. Maple syrup is not indigenous to Thailand, but how can you have pancakes without syrup? The maple-lime combination is one you don't want to miss. I use it here as a dessert sauce, but it can also be used in more savory dishes. One bite and your taste buds will be singing.

Thai Coconut Pancakes with Lime and Maple Syrup

Ingredients:
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup rice flour (cornstarch may be substituted)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup dried, unsweetened shredded coconut
1 large egg
1 to 1-1/2 cups coconut milk
Vegetable oil for frying
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
Zest and juice of 1 lime + additional zest and lime wedges for garnish

Directions:
1) Sift all-purpose flour, rice flour, sugar, and salt into a medium bowl. Stir in coconut. Make a well in the center. Place egg and 1 cup coconut milk in well; whisk until mixture forms a batter, using additional milk to thin to desired consistency.
2) Preheat an electric griddle to 350 to 375 degrees F. Brush griddle with oil. Using a 1/4 cup measure, scoop a scant 1/4 cup batter onto grill, Smooth surface with back of spoon and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Turn and cook until other side is golden. Repeat. Keep warm.
3) Warm maple syrup, zest of 1 lime and 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice in a small sauce pan. Pour into a 1/2 cup pitcher.
4) Arrange pancakes on a serving platter. Drizzle lightly with syrup. Sprinkle additional lime zest over pancakes. Garnish with lime wedges. Pass remaining syrup at the table. Yield: 6 to 8 pancakes.