Tag: maple

Autumn Delicata Squash Salad

Note: I received a cooler bag with BrightFarms local leafy greens and salad ingredients in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.
I am so excited to share this Autumn Delicata Squash Salad recipe with you, thanks to BrightFarms!
I recently received a lovely delivery from BrightFarms, the leading provider of locally grown packaged salads.
BrightFarms operates hydroponic greenhouse farms right outside the communities where they are sold, including one in Selinsgrove, PA, about 150 miles from Philadelphia. The indoor farming company has revolutionized what’s possible in the agricultural industry by growing produce indoors and in carefully controlled greenhouses without ever using pesticides.
Their products are:
  • Pesticide-Free: Proudly pesticide free and non-GMO to keep your family safe
  • Greenhouse/Sustainably Grown: Greenhouses provide the ideal environment to grow 365 days/year to peak flavor
  • Locally Grown: Greens are grown, harvested & delivered to stores in as little as 24 hours, so BrightFarms greens are at peak freshness and flavor when arriving in your fridge

My BrightFarms cooler bag was filled with a bunch of goodies, including the ingredients to make this delicious Autumn Delicata Squash Salad!

Ingredients:
Salad:
  • 1 (4 oz) container BrightFarms Keystone Crunch
  • 1 medium delicata squash
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing:

  • 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Continue reading Autumn Delicata Squash Salad

Maple Chai Latte Cocktail

Note: I was sent a bottle of Black Button Distilling’s Bespoke Bourbon Cream in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.

If you’re a fan of creamy cocktails, I have the perfect cocktail to share with you today! The team at Black Button Distilling sent me a recipe for a Maple Chai Latte Cocktail that sounded so tasty I knew I had to pass it along.

Black Button Distilling, based out of Rochester, NY, was actually Rochester’s first grain-to-glass distillery since prohibition when it was established in 2012. The cocktail is made with Black Button Distilling’s Bespoke Bourbon Cream, which combines their hand finished bourbon and local farm fresh New York State cream — it’s similar to Irish Cream but the bourbon brings a different (and delicious!) flavor profile.

This Maple Chai Latte plays up the vanilla and caramel notes in the Bourbon Cream with the addition of maple syrup, a chai simple syrup, and coffee liqueur.

You can buy chai simple syrup (paid link), but I’ve included a recipe below in case you want to make your own at home, like I did.

Ingredients (serves 2):

  • ice
  • 3 oz Bespoke Bourbon Cream
  • 4 oz coffee liqueur
  • 1 oz Chai simple syrup (recipe below)
  • 1 oz maple syrup (I used a bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup to really up the flavor!)
  • coffee beans, for garnish, if desired
  • star anise, for garnish, if desired

Chai Simple Syrup ingredients:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 12 green cardamom pods
  • 12 black peppercorns
  • 12 whole cloves
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 3 star anise
  • 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Note: I received a bottle of Nielsen-Massey’s Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract in order to write this post. All opinions are mine alone. #BetterYourBake

How is it already nearly October? Every fall, time seems to speed up and the months for the rest of the year just fly by! With so much happening in the fall, it makes sense that it feels like things are in fast forward. But it’s important to take the time to step back and do something you enjoy amid all the chaos.

Nielsen-Massey was nice enough to remind me of that, and sent me a bottle of their Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract to do what I love: bake! Recent studies have shown that creative activities, such as baking, help people feel more relaxed and happier in their everyday lives.

But in order to benefit from the mindful nature of baking, basic techniques must first be mastered. To help learn some new baking tricks, Nielsen-Massey has developed “Better Your Bake,” which delivers technique-based videos, tips and tools to help home bakers learn and master the basics of baking with the help of Nielsen-Massey products.

I was asked to show off my newest learned skill after watching some of Nielsen-Massey’s videos: how to temper chocolate. It takes some effort, but it’s easier than an initially thought!

  • Tempering chocolate is typically used for special occasions and results in a smooth, glossy chocolate coating that dries shiny and has a crisp snap
  • The process involves divvying and melting a portion of the chocolate, stirring in the reserved chocolate and heating the whole batch to the required temperature
  • Tempered chocolate is great for cake pops, fruit, candy molds and more

So, what could be better than chocolate covered bacon? This recipe, from Nielsen-Massey’s website, originally developed by Pastry Chef Jessica Ellington, is for Maple Bacon Cupcakes, topped with a maple buttercream frosting, crumbled bacon, and a half slice of chocolate dipped bacon. And yes, they are every bit as delicious as you are imagining!

Nielsen-Massey has a bunch of videos that are helpful for this recipe, so I’ve linked to them throughout the post.

Ingredients:

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

  • 8 slices of bacon, cooked and crispy
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 4 eggs, yolks and whites separated
  • 1 teaspoon Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 1 ½ cups cake flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ cup whole milk

Chocolate-Covered Bacon

  • 1 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped, divided
  • 9 slices of bacon, cooked and crispy

Maple Buttercream Frosting

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks)
  • 1 ½ cups pure maple syrup
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup half and half
  • ¾ teaspoon Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

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Slow Cooker Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam

I wanted to make an appetizer that travels easily so that I could bring it up to an engagement party I was attending on Long Island. Closet Cooking has a fantastic recipe for Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam that sounded perfect. I altered it to make it into a slow cooker recipe because I didn’t have time to keep something on the stove for 1-2 hours (I actually ended up making this overnight) and made it a bit less spicy.

The jam can be made well ahead of time which made it perfect for traveling!

Ingredients:

  • 1 (16 oz) package uncured center cut bacon
  • 1 large white onion, sliced
  • 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 1 cup brewed coffee
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • 1 chipotle chili in adobo, chopped, plus a teaspoon of the adobo sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ground pepper, to taste

Continue reading Slow Cooker Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam

Maple Soy Glazed Salmon

Are you ready for the easiest salmon recipe, perhaps ever? The name says it all: maple-soy glazed salmon. You just use equal parts maple syrup and reduced sodium soy sauce.

 

Ingredients:
2 pieces of 5 oz salmon fillets, skin on
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos to make gluten free)
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine the maple syrup and soy sauce.

Top the salmon fillets with salt and pepper.

Drizzle the maple-soy mixture equally over the salmon.

 

I bought my salmon from a supermarket in Wilmington that inexplicably only had salmon without the skin. What the heck? Normally, I would just grill the salmon, skin side up for 2-3 minutes and then flip the salmon, skin side down and cook until done. Because we had to take into account the whole no-skin issue, we wrapped the salmon in tin foil and popped it on the grill for a good 10 to 15 minutes. (Special thanks to Kevin and Tim for doing the actual grilling part!)

 

It still turned out great! The sauce caramelizes a bit, adding some sweetness to the salmon. I really wish it could have been straight on the grill to add some charring but it was not to be. Sigh. If anyone gets the chance to actually try it this way, please let me know how it turns out!

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