Saratoga Farmers' Market

maple syrup

Squash Pie

By

Recipe by New York Times and Bake from Scratch, prepared and shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Makes one 9-inch pie

Photo by Pattie Garrett

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

Pie filling:
● 2 large eggs*, plus 2 egg yolks
● 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
● ½ cup dark brown sugar
● ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
● 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
● 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
● ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
● pinch cayenne pepper
● 1½ cups roasted squash* puree (butternut, honeynut, tetsukabuto, hubbard)
● ¾ cup heavy cream*

For gingersnap crust:
● 2 cups gingersnap crumbs
● ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
● ½ teaspoon kosher salt
● ¼ cup unsalted butter*, melted

For maple whipped cream:
● ½ cup heavy whipping cream
● 2 Tablespoons maple syrup*

Instructions

Pie filling:

  1. Combine eggs, vanilla, sugar, salt and spices in a food processor and process until smooth. Add squash puree and process until smooth. With machine running, pour in heavy cream and process to combine.
  2. Scrape into pie crust and bake for 20 minutes at 300 degrees. Then turn up the oven to 325 degrees and continue baking for another 20 to 25 minutes until the filling is set 2⁄3rd of the way in from the perimeter and center still jiggles. Tent edges loosely with foil if browning too quickly.

    For gingersnap crust:
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together gingersnap crumbs, brown sugar, and salt. Add melted butter, stirring until well combined. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, gently press crumb mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9 inch pie plate. Bake 10 minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack.

    For maple whipped cream:
  4. In a bowl, beat the cream and maple syrup at high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.


    Notes: To make butternut squash puree, coat 1 peeled, seeded, and quartered butternut squash with 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast in a 400 degree oven until soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool completely. Scrape out the pulp. Transfer pulp to a food processor and process on high until pureed.

Maple Almond Butter Sauce Served over Pasta

By

Recipe courtesy of Laura Kenny, SFMA Intern 2019

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market
● Cooked pasta noodles*
● ½ cup Nut Zez maple almond butter*
● 1-½ teaspoon minced garlic*
● 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
● 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or try honey balsamic dressing*
● 1 tablespoon honey* or maple syrup*
● 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
● ½ cup of hot water
● Optional garnishes include: chopped almonds, scallions, or carrots* cut into matchsticks

Instructions

  1. Combine all the ingredients except water into a food processor and blender until smooth.
  2. Add water until desired consistency is achieved.
  3. Cooked pasta according to the instructions and pour mixture over the pasta.
  4. Serve with chopped almonds, sliced scallions, and/or carrots.

    To add extra protein, top with chicken or tofu.

Maple Syrup Pudding

By

Adapted from the recipe by Schoolhouse Maple, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table

Serves: 4

 

INGREDIENTS

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

  • ⅓ cup dark maple syrup*
  • 2 cups milk*
  • 3 Tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 large egg* yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 Tablespoon butter*

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Whisk syrup, milk, cornstarch, and egg in a saucepan. Cook on medium high heat for 8 minutes while continually whisking. Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter.
  2. Pour in 4 individual dishes. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

 

NOTES:

Top with whipped cream:

1 cup whipping cream (heavy cream*)

3 Tablespoons maple syrup*

Beat cream until soft peaks begin to form. Add maple syrup and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

 

The Magic of Maple: New Spins on an Old Favorite

By

by Kristin Cleveland

 

Sap lines at Slate Valley Farms

As light returns to our region and cold nights alternate with warm days, sap runs in the trees and maple sugaring season begins. On Saturday, March 16th, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market celebrates this sweet time of year with Maple Day! Vendors throughout the market will offer maple-inspired samples and recipes, and Gina Willis, manager of the maple production at her family’s Slate Valley Farms, will introduce a new spin on this traditional treat: maple syrup infusions.

Willis grew up learning about making maple, honey, and other farm products with her parents Pat and Susan Imbimbo. She earned a degree in Agricultural Business and Horticulture at SUNY Cobleskill and then returned to help run the family farm.

Sugar House at Slate Valley Farms

This decision makes Willis unusual in the maple industry, as most maple operations are run by men. Willis is excited to take up the family tradition and also innovate. Last summer she attended classes at the Maple Producers Convention to learn about naturally infusing a variety of flavors into maple syrup. She has since tested over 30 infusions in her commercial kitchen, and on Saturday she’ll bring samples of four (vanilla bean, blueberry, Ceylon cinnamon, and coffee bean) plus a bourbon barrel aged maple syrup. In addition, she’ll offer samples of all of the grades of syrup made at Slate Valley Farms during the 2019 harvest.

Willis is also continuing a project, started by her grandmother, of sharing a wide variety of maple recipes, from sweet to savory, salty to spicy. Instead of a traditional cookbook, Willis is developing a cooking video web series. She’ll provide a sneak preview at the market, giving out recipes like Maple Apple Sheet Cake and Savory Maple Rice and Beans, which she loves because it combines “northeast sweet flavor with southwest zest!”

Willis is thrilled to devote her life to both the beloved traditions and new possibilities of maple. She enjoys having a connection to her family’s woodlands and managing them year-round to ensure a great maple season. She explains, “Being able to have an occupation that allows me to be in tune with nature is a wonderful perk.”

Also at Saturday’s market will be an opportunity to try an old New England sugaring tradition, sweet maple syrup drizzled over a sour dill pickle, plus some local vendor creations like maple-vanilla Italian cream sodas, real maple lattes, and maple cheesecakes.

Delicata Squash and Onions

By

Adapted from Eating Well Magazine and shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table

Ingredients:

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

2 large delicata squash* (2 pounds)

1 medium red onion*, sliced

3 Tablespoons olive oil*, divided

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary*

1-2 Tablespoons maple syrup*, to taste

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Cut crosswise into ½ inch half circles. Toss with onion, 1 Tablespoon oil and salt in a large bowl. Spread in an even layer on baking sheet. 

Roast, stirring once or twice, until tender and beginning to brown about 30 minutes.

Combine the remaining 1 Tablespoon of oil, rosemary, maple syrup, and mustard in a small bowl. Toss the vegetable with the dressing. 

Maple Yogurt Cake

By

Adapted from the recipe by Clotilde Dusoulier of Chocolate & Zucchini
Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Serves 8

 

Ingredients

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

  • 1 cup plain yogurt*
  • 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons maple sugar* from Slate Valley Farms, divided (see note)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • a good pinch salt
  • one large apple* of a variety that holds its shape when cooked


Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 360° F and line a 10-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
  2. Set aside 1 rounded tablespoon of the maple sugar for the topping.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, the remaining maple sugar, eggs, and oil.
  4. In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Peel the apple, then core, quarter, and slice it thinly. Add the flour mixture to the yogurt mixture and whisk it in quickly, until just combined. Don’t worry about lumps and do not overmix.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, arrange the apple slices on top, starting from the outside, and sprinkle with the reserved maple sugar.
  6. Put into the oven to bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. If you feel the apple slices might be browning too quickly, cover with a piece of parchment paper.
  7. Lift the cake cautiously out of the pan and transfer to a rack to cool. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Notes:

Substitute 3/4 cup maple syrup and use just 3/4 cup yogurt to make up for the extra moisture.