The arrival of spring also announces the beginning of maple syrup season in Quebec, Canada, the world’s largest maple syrup producer.
Maple Syrup Production in Quebec
Maple syrup production begins in February and ends at the end of April. The maple syrup production starts by tapping the maple trees to collect the flowing sap. The ideal temperature is freezing nights and warm days to ensure the sap flow. Once the sap is collected it is boiled down in an evaporator until the water has evaporated and the sweet syrup remains. Maple syrup can also be boiled down to make maple sugar and maple taffy.
The Gallant Maple Pavilion
During the maple syrup season, it is a Quebec tradition that has sugar shacks or ‘cabanes à sucre' offer maple syrup meals as well as maple syrup products to the public. Auberge des Gallant produces maple syrup at the Gallant Maple Pavilion located in Rigaud, Quebec. The Gallant Maple Pavilion was built from the trees that were salvaged from the 1998 ice storm.
The 10,000 taps make for quite a busy spring for the Gallant family to produce maple syrup and its products. The Gallant Maple Pavilion can accommodate up to 150 people for maple sugar meals. The maple syrup meals are served seven days a week with sittings at different times of the day. On Saturday nights there is music and dancing. Reservations are required.
Maple Syrup Meals
A typical maple syrup meal at the Gallant Maple Pavilion consists of: beets, pickles, home-made ketchup, cole slaw with maple vinaigrette, cretons, home-made bread, French Pea soup, meat pie, meat ball stew, potatoes, maple syrup ham, sausages in maple beer, pork rinds, omelettes, home baked beans, pancakes with maple syrup, upside down maple cake and sugar pies.
Maple Taffy on Snow
Maple Taffy on Snow or 'Tire sur la Neige' is the pefect way to end a maple syrup meal. First the maple syrup must be cooked to a temperature of 238ºF (114ºC). Then the hot maple taffy is poured on clean snow spread that has been spread in a wooden trough. The maple taffy takes only a few minutes to harden. Wooden spoons are distributed among the crowd anxiously awaiting for the tasting to begin.
Maple Syrup Products
The Gallant Maple Pavilion also offers, along with maple syrup, different maple syrup products for sale such as maple taffy, maple syrup pies, maple sugar pies at the Gallant Maple Pavilion and selected products from the Auberge des Gallant Web site.
Sweet Tradition
This Quebec tradition is not one to be missed. What better way to gather family and friends together for an afternoon for the sweet celebration of spring?
Visit the Gallant Maple Pavilion for more information on:
- reservation times for maple sugar meals
- maple syrup recipes
- maple syrup products
Listed below is the recipe for the Gallant Maple Pavilion's renown Maple Syrup Pie (with a secret ingredient) courtesy of Linda Gallant.
Maple Syrup Pie Recipe
Ingredients :
- 1 cup medium or amber maple syrup
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup 2% Carnation condensed milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 unbaked pie crust
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Whisk the first four ingredients in a bowl until well blended.
- Pour ingredients into unbaked pie crust.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove pie from oven. Center of pie will be jiggly. The pie will continue to bake slowly resulting in a silky texture.
Yield: 1 9-inch pie.
Serving Suggestion :Linda Gallant of Auberge des Gallant, shares the following serving suggestions:
- Serve the maple syrup pie drizzled with maple syrup or topped with whipping cream or ice cream.
- The Maple Syrup Pie is best served cold.
Chef’s Secrets::
- Mix the ingredients well to avoid lumps and too much foam.
- Pour filling to the top of the pie crust.
- Bake pie for only 45 minutes even if the pie does not look fully baked otherwise the syrup will turn into sugar.
Written permission to reprint the recipe and photos granted by Linda Gallant of Auberge des Gallant.
