Flannel shirts, folk music, toffee in your hair… who’s on board for a trip to a good olʼfashioned sugar shack this year? Fluffy eggs, ham and the toffee… so yum, but if line ups and crowds arenʼt your thing, or maybe you just canʼt wait to get your maple fix, here are some of my best recipes so you can bring the shack to your home whenever you want!
Porter Beer & Maple Baked Beans (in 40 min!)
Although so good, I rarely used to make my grandmaʼs baked beans recipe because of the 2-3 day process. However, now that the thinkkitchen Multi-Function Electric Cooker (a newer model now available here) is my bestie, I decided to see how I could modernize her recipe using porter beer and the pressure cooker setting. Sorry grandma, these beans were a-mazing… maybe even better!!! I wasnʼt sure how long it would take but my instinct was to check on them after 30 min. They werenʼt quite done yet so I continued cooking them another 10 minutes which was just right. I still had to soak the beans the night before but we were eating these delicious beans for breakfast the very same morning!
Hereʼs the recipe.
- 5 strips thick cut bacon
- 1 onion
- 2 cups dried white beans
- 1 1/2 cups porter beer
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- Salt & pepper
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Soak the beans in cold water overnight.
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The next morning, roughly chop the onion & bacon and cook them in the multi-function cooker (or the quickpot) on the sautée setting until browned and cooked through (about 20 min).
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Strain the beans and add them to the pot along with the beer, syrup, tomato paste & pepper. Stir it together and then close the lid and then set the machine to the pressure cooker for 35 min.
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Let the steam escape and check the beans for doneness and that there is enough liquid still in the pot.
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Continue cooking 5 min if needed.
Note: you can make a bigger batch and store the leftovers in mason jars in the fridge up to 3 months if you follow a simple sterilization process.
Gluten-Free Maple Buckwheat Pancakes
Eggless, gluten-free pancakes?? Yes my friends, not only is it possible but these are in my top 2 pancake recipes for their crispy outside and fluffy inside and delicious nutty taste. There are a few tricks to keep in mind to attain the perfect pancake… good pan & buttermilk! A pancake pan will distribute the heat evenly and retain it for perfectly cooked pancakes every time. And buttermilk is the key to lightening up the batter for really fluffy pancakes. No need to buy buttermilk, if you have regular milk and lemon juice or white vinegar just add 2 tbsp spoons to 1 cup of milk, give it a good stir and let it thicken up for a few minutes. Voilà, you have buttermilk!
Hereʼs the recipe.
- 2 cups whole milk + 4 tbs lemon juice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp melted butter
- 3 tbsp maple sugar or 2 tbs maple syrup
- 1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda a
- pinch of salt
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In a large bowl, mix the milk & lemon juice (or vinegar) together and let stand 5 minutes to thicken.
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Melt the butter and mix it in along with the vanilla & maple sugar. Add the flour, baking soda & salt and mix until there are no clumps. Let stand 5-10 minutes to let the baking soda activate.
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Preheat the pancake pan at medium heat (between 6-7) and ladle on one scoop of batter. Don’t flip the pancakes until small bubbles have formed and the batter has become a matte looking texture. Cook 2-3 minutes on the second side and then remove from the pan and repeat.
NOTE: while making a big batch of pancakes, place them on a baking sheet in a warm oven to keep them hot until you are ready to serve them.
Poached eggs in Maple Syrup
Iʼm not going to lie, this recipe is decadent… but it’s not sugar shack unless there is syrup on everything and that includes eggs. If youʼve never had an egg poached in maple syrup then you are missing out! The egg becomes all custardy and is pretty much the most delicious recipe that is ridiculously simple to make at home. Good quality maple syrup & fresh eggs are all you need!
- 1 can maple syrup
- Fresh eggs
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Pour 1 can of maple syrup in a small pot and stir it over high heat until it come to a boil. You have to stay there stirring it, as the syrup will bubble over if you don't attend to it.
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Reduce the heat and poach 1 egg at a time. Too ensure your egg doesnʼt disperse in the syrup, crack open an egg into a small bowl then slowly pour the egg from the bowl to the syrup. Let cook undisturbed until the yolk is cooked and no longer shiny (about 6 min).
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Enjoy immediately!
Don’t forget to share pictures of your recipes by tagging @stokesstores and @priscilaskitchen.