The Maple Cookbook - Connecticut Style
The Maple Cookbook, Connecticut Style, International Edition is now available. The book includes over 150 recipes from friends and family, including 26 from chefs all over Connecticut. In addition to the original 150 recipes printed in English, 25 of those recipes have been translated into French, Italian and Spanish (with appropriate metric and Centigrade notations). You'll find lots of tasty new ways to enjoy maple syrup. The cookbooks are $20/each. If you are interested in getting one, or multiple, copies send a note to [email protected] with your request.
The production of this International Edition was made possible with funding from the Federal-State Marketing Improvement program of the Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture and the Connecticut District Export Council.
Featured Recipe
Apple Maple Bread Pudding
Recipe by Barbara Mojon Gugnoni of Perfect Pastries
4 apples, peeled, cored, & sliced into 1/8” thick slices
3 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp, divided plus more for pan
3 Tbsp plus ½ cup pure maple syrup, divided
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp plus ¼ tsp salt, divided
Pinch plus ¾ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg, divided
8 cups of cubed bread approximately 20 ounces*
2 ¼ cups milk
2 ¼ cups cream
4 eggs plus 2 yolks
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. bourbon (optional)
¼ cup brown sugar
Cinnamon and sugar mixture
*This recipe is excellent with either Wave Hill bread or Bantam Bread's challah.
1. Cut bread into cubes and lay out on cookie sheets to begin drying out
2. Make apple filling. Melt 3 Tbsp butter. Add maple syrup, cinnamon, salt and pinch of nutmeg and stir to combine. Add apples and stir to coat. Cook for approximately 10 minutes until apples are soft but not mushy and syrup is coating and clinging to apples. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
3. Heat oven to 325. Rack in lower third of oven. Generously butter a glass or ceramic 9x13 baking dish.
4. Whisk eggs, yolks, maple syrup, and brown sugar in a very large bowl. Whisk in milk, cream, vanilla, salt, ¾ tsp. nutmeg and bourbon, if using. (Bourbon was used in the dessert at the Mid-Winter Harvest Dinner.) Add bread to custard, toss to coat well and let rest 30 minutes.
5. Make topping: Melt remaining 1 Tbsp. of butter. Mix together some sugar and cinnamon.
6. After 30 minutes, place one half of bread with custard in baking dish. Top with apple filling and then the rest of bread cubes. Pour custard evenly over bread and press down slightly on the bread. Brush exposed bread with melted butter and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the whole dish.
7. Bake for 55 – 65 minutes until deep golden brown, sides are rising up a bit and the center jiggles just a bit when shaken. Let cool until lukewarm or cool completely, then refrigerate. Warm in a low oven covered and serve.
Serving suggestion: Vanilla ice cream or maple whipped cream.
Apple Maple Bread Pudding
Recipe by Barbara Mojon Gugnoni of Perfect Pastries
4 apples, peeled, cored, & sliced into 1/8” thick slices
3 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp, divided plus more for pan
3 Tbsp plus ½ cup pure maple syrup, divided
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp plus ¼ tsp salt, divided
Pinch plus ¾ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg, divided
8 cups of cubed bread approximately 20 ounces*
2 ¼ cups milk
2 ¼ cups cream
4 eggs plus 2 yolks
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. bourbon (optional)
¼ cup brown sugar
Cinnamon and sugar mixture
*This recipe is excellent with either Wave Hill bread or Bantam Bread's challah.
1. Cut bread into cubes and lay out on cookie sheets to begin drying out
2. Make apple filling. Melt 3 Tbsp butter. Add maple syrup, cinnamon, salt and pinch of nutmeg and stir to combine. Add apples and stir to coat. Cook for approximately 10 minutes until apples are soft but not mushy and syrup is coating and clinging to apples. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
3. Heat oven to 325. Rack in lower third of oven. Generously butter a glass or ceramic 9x13 baking dish.
4. Whisk eggs, yolks, maple syrup, and brown sugar in a very large bowl. Whisk in milk, cream, vanilla, salt, ¾ tsp. nutmeg and bourbon, if using. (Bourbon was used in the dessert at the Mid-Winter Harvest Dinner.) Add bread to custard, toss to coat well and let rest 30 minutes.
5. Make topping: Melt remaining 1 Tbsp. of butter. Mix together some sugar and cinnamon.
6. After 30 minutes, place one half of bread with custard in baking dish. Top with apple filling and then the rest of bread cubes. Pour custard evenly over bread and press down slightly on the bread. Brush exposed bread with melted butter and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the whole dish.
7. Bake for 55 – 65 minutes until deep golden brown, sides are rising up a bit and the center jiggles just a bit when shaken. Let cool until lukewarm or cool completely, then refrigerate. Warm in a low oven covered and serve.
Serving suggestion: Vanilla ice cream or maple whipped cream.
On Sunday, October 11, Tracey Medeiros, coauthor of The Connecticut Farm Table Cookbook featured a recipe from the cookbook - a Maple Pecan Bourbon Pie on WFSB Channel 3 Connecticut using CT maple syrup.
