Maple Crema Recipes

MAPLE CREAM

Steps:

• Place the bowl of a stand mixer (or any large heatproof bowl, if using a handheld mixer) in an ice-water bath. Combine maple syrup, oil, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, undisturbed, over medium-high heat. Continue boiling, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 235 degrees (soft-ball stage), 6 to 8 minutes.
• Immediately transfer syrup to bowl in ice-water bath and let stand, undisturbed, until it has cooled to 100 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes. Attach bowl to stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-low speed until mixture becomes thick, creamy, and the color of peanut butter. (This can take anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes, so set a timer and check on it periodically if using a stand mixer.) Transfer cream to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and store in refrigerator or a cool, dark place up to 1 year.

MAPLE CREMA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put syrup in 4-quart saucepan and bring to a boil. (Use a large saucepan, syrup will bubble up quite high.) Lower heat to simmer and cook until reduced by about two thirds, 15 to 20 minutes. (Syrup is ready when a few drops on a chilled plate are very sticky when rubbed with your fingers.)
• Remove from heat and whisk in cream and milk. Return saucepan to heat and bring to low simmer. Meanwhile whisk yolks well with sugar and salt in large bowl. Remove maple cream from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes, then very slowly whisk it into the yolks. Strain through a chinois or fine-meshed sieve to remove any lumps of yolk.
• Arrange 8 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups in a flat-bottomed roasting pan large enough to accommodate them with 3/4 inch of space in between the cups. Evenly divide the custard among the cups; do not fill to the top. Carefully add enough hot tap water to roasting pan to come a third of the way up sides of cups. Cover roasting pan with foil, tenting it slightly so that foil does not touch top of custards.
• Put pan on middle rack of oven and bake for 35 minutes; rotate pan, then bake another 15 minutes and check for doneness. The custards are done when the centers are set a bit, even jiggly like gelatin. Total baking time will be 50 to 60 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven, remove foil, and let custards cool in water bath until you can safely pick them up, then let them cool to room temperature. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, until thoroughly chilled.

MAPLE CREAM PIE

Steps:

• For the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. While continuing to pulse, slowly add the water and lemon juice until the dough just comes together. Squeeze a small amount of dough between your thumb and index finger to make sure it holds its shape. If it doesn't, add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time while still pulsing, but make sure that the dough doesn't form into a wet ball.
• Remove the dough from the food processor. Divide the dough in half, press each half into a disk, and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes. (You will only use 1 disk of dough for this recipe; the other disk of dough will keep for up to 1 month, wrapped well, in the freezer.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll 1 dough disk out to a 12-inch round. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the dough. Crimp the edges and dock the bottom of the dough with a fork. Freeze the dough in the pan for 20 minutes.
• Line the dough-lined pan with parchment paper and fill to the rim with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment. Continue baking until the crust is baked through, 15 to 20 more minutes. Let cool completely.
• For the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the egg yolks, maple syrup, cornstarch, and salt, whisking until smooth and pale.
• In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the cream, milk, and vanilla and bring to a simmer. With the mixer running on medium speed, slowly and carefully pour the hot milk mixture into the mixer and whisk until combined.
• Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and whisk constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise. Remove the pastry cream from the heat and add the butter, whisking until incorporated. Pour the pastry cream directly into the cooled prepared crust. Cover the tart with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool.
• To finish: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the heavy cream, mascarpone, and maple syrup to stiff peaks. Using a small offset spatula, spread the topping across the surface of the pie.
• Garnish each slice with a Maple Cookie, if you like.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, maple syrup, and 1/2 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and salt until fully combined. Add the flour mixture all at once to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Press the dough into a disk and wrap it up. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick. Using a maple leaf cookie cutter, stamp out cookies and place 1/2 inch apart on the prepared pans. Press together and re-roll the scraps 1 time. Sprinkle the cookies with a light, even layer of the remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
• Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes.

MAPLE CREMA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Put syrup in 4-quart saucepan and bring to a boil. (Use a large saucepan, syrup will bubble up quite high.)
• Lower heat to simmer and cook until reduced by about two thirds, 15 to 20 minutes (syrup is ready when a few drops on a chilled plate are very sticky when rubbed with your fingers).
• Remove from heat and whisk in cream and milk.
• Return saucepan to heat and bring to low simmer.
• Meanwhile whisk yolks well with sugar and salt in large bowl.
• Remove maple cream from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes, then very slowly whisk it into the yolks.
• Strain through a chinois or fine-meshed sieve to remove any lumps of yolk.
• Arrange 8 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups in a flat-bottomed roasting pan large enough to accommodate them with 3/4 inch of space in between the cups.
• Evenly divide the custard among the cups; do not fill to the top.
• Carefully add enough hot tap water to roasting pan to come a third of the way up sides of cups.
• Cover roasting pan with foil, tenting it slightly so that foil does not touch top of custards.
• Put pan on middle rack of oven and bake for 35 minutes; rotate pan, then bake another 15 minutes and check for doneness.
• The custards are done when the centers are set a bit, even jiggly like gelatin.
• Total baking time will be 50 to 60 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven, remove foil, and let custards cool in water bath until you can safely pick them up, then let them cool to room temperature.
• Refrigerate at least 4 hours, until thoroughly chilled.