Get ready to elevate your family's favourite desserts this Christmas with these three Maple Syrup recipes from the good people at Maple From Canada.
Baked Eggnog Cheesecake with a Ginger and Maple Crust (10 portions)
Ingredients
For the base crust:
- 1 cup crushed biscuits
- 1/8 cup pure Canadian maple syrup (preferably amber syrup for its rich taste)
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1/4 cup stem ginger, chopped
For the cheesecake filling:
- 600g cream cheese
- 3/4 cup maple sugar
- plain flour
- 1 cup eggnog
- 3 eggs and 2 yolks
- 1tsp nutmeg
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
- Mix together the crushed biscuits, ginger, maple syrup and butter in a bowl, then press into a 9-inch spring mould.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden, then leave to cool.
- Blend the cream cheese, maple sugar, eggnog, nutmeg and eggs and fold in the flour to finish.
- Pour mixture into crust and bake for 40-50 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, loosen cake rim and allow to cool, then remove the cake ring.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
- Serve with seasonal fruits or a topping of your choice.
Maple Eggnog Creme Brulee (8 portions)
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cups double cream
- 1.3 cup whole milk
- 7 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup pure Canadian maple syrup (preferably amber syrup for its rich taste)
- 1/4 cup dark rum
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 tsp maple sugar
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C.
- Pour the double cream, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and maple syrup into a pan.
- Put the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk for 1 minute until paler in colour and a bit fluffy.
- Put the pan with the cream on a medium heat and bring almost to the boil.
- As soon as you see bubbles appear around the edge, take the pan off the heat.
- Pour the hot cream into the beaten egg yolks, add the brandy and dark rum then stir.
- Pour hot water into a roasting tin so that it comes up to about 1.5cm on the sides of the dish.
- Pour the hot cream into ramekins so that they are filled right up to the top.
- Bake for 45 mins until the mixture is set.
- To check if the crème brûlées are ready, gently sway the roasting tin. If they wobble like jelly, they are ready.
- Lift the crème brûlées out of the roasting tin with oven gloves and set them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then put them in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours to cool completely.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle the maple sugar over the crème brûlées and spread it out with the back of a spoon to completely cover.
- Use a blow torch or grill to caramelise the maple sugar. Hold the flame above the maple sugar and keep moving it around until caramelised.
- Put the crème brûlée back in the fridge for 10 minutes then serve.
Christmas Cake Maple Ice Cream (6-8 portions)
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups double cream
- 1 tin condensed milk
- 10 oz left-over Christmas cake, crumbled
- 1/4 cup pure Canadian maple syrup (preferably golden colour for its delicate flavour)
Method:
- Tip the cream, condensed milk and maple syrup into a large bowl and use an electric whisk to beat until it holds peaks.
- Add the Christmas cake and use a large spoon to fold it, evenly distributing through the cream mix.
- Tip into a loaf tin or container and freeze for at least 5 hours, overnight or until frozen solid.
- Remove from the freezer for 5 minutes before serving, then scoop and enjoy.
For more Maple syrup recipes visit the Maple from Canada website.