Maple Mustard Glaze and Dipping Sauce
This all purpose glaze or dipping sauce combines the pungency of mustard with the hearty sweetness that true maple syrup delivers. Use it to dip chicken nuggets, cold boiled or hot grilled shrimp --just about anything. It can also be a great glaze to finish grilled items in the last few minutes on the grill.
Yield: a bit more than ½ cup
one-quarter cup Dijon mustard
one-quarter cup maple sugar
2 Tablespoons real maple syrup
Combine all ingredients. Let site for 5 minutes to allow the maple sugar to dissolve. Store covered in the refrigerator until needed.
Maple Sugar Rub
This recipe makes a bunch of rub that can be stored for use at any point. .
2 Tablespoons sea salt
8 Tablespoons maple sugar
1 and one-half teaspoons ground black pepper
three-quarters of a teaspoon powdered dried sage
Combine all ingredients and store in an air-tight container until needed.
This rub is great in many different recipes. For instance:
Scallopine. Simply flatten pork tenderloin, chicken breast, or veal until it is one-quarter inch thick. The best way to do this is to flatten the meat between 2 sheets of plastic wrap using a meat mallet or the side of a cleaver. Season the meat generously with maple sugar rub. Saute over moderate heat in a preheated sauté pan with vegetable oil. Monitor the meat closely so that it does not over caramelize. (If the meat is caramelizing too fast, simply reduce the heat and/or turn the meat over in the sauté pan frequently.) Serve with maple mustard glaze (above).
Roast pork tenderloin: Season a pork tenderloin generously with maple sugar rub. Sauté briefly in a hot sauté pan just until it is lightly browned. Transfer the pork tenderloin to a roasting pan with a roasting rack. Continue cooking in a 325 degree oven until the pork registers an internal temperature of 155 degrees. Serve with maple mustard glaze (above).
Pork loin or whole chicken roasts: Simply season the exterior of the roast generously with the maple sugar rub and roast. Serve with maple mustard glaze (above).
Chicken Braised in Maple Syrup
Serves: 4
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
one-quarter cup all-purpose flour
Salt and ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
one-third cup maple syrup
one-half teaspoon dried thyme leaves
one-quarter teaspoon crushed dried sage
1 bay leaf
three-quarters cup (125 ml) water or chicken stock
Cornstarch dissolved in cold water
1. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Coat lightly in flour.
2. In a large sauté pan, sauté chicken breasts over high heat in 2 Tablespoons butter. Once the chicken has browned on both sides, remove from pan and reserve.
3. Add remaining 1 Tablespoon of butter to the sauté pan. Add onions and sauté until translucent (about 8 minutes).
4. Add chicken, maple syrup, thyme, sage, bay leaf, and stock to the sauté pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook over very low heat until the chicken is cooked (internal temperature of 165° F). Remove chicken breasts form the pan and keep warm.
5. Whisking constantly, add cornstarch and water mixture to the cooking liquid in the pan. Bring to a boil and rectify seasoning.
6. Serve chicken with thickened liquid.
