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Susan Jung

My first taste of pancakes with real maple syrup - as opposed to the commercial syrup with 'maple flavouring' - was revelatory. I don't like pancakes all that much but I finally realised the reason for their existence - their spongy texture is a good vehicle for getting maple syrup into the mouth. Maple syrup is delicious on its own but it can be used in many sweet and savoury dishes. It's expensive but an affordable luxury and, when you take into account that you need 40 litres of maple sap to make one litre of syrup, perhaps the price is justified.
Maple-glazed baby back ribs (pictured)
2-4 racks (depending on size) baby back pork ribs (about 1kg in total)
250ml maple syrup
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1-2 red bird's-eye chillies
1 tsp Dijon mustard
20ml soy sauce
15ml Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp paprika
15ml fresh lime juice
30ml fresh orange juice
Finely grated zest of one orange
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
If the tough membrane on the concave side of the ribs is still on the racks, remove it (it's usually sold without it). Make slits in the meaty parts of the ribs, between the bones. Mix the maple syrup with the other ingredients. Taste the marinade and add pepper and a little salt, if needed. Slather the marinade over the pork ribs and leave for two hours at room temperature, or in the fridge overnight.
Preheat the oven to 120 degrees Celsius. Drain the ribs in a colander set over a bowl, reserving the marinade. Spread the solid bits of the marinade in an aluminium foil-lined baking tray that's just large enough to fit the ribs. Put the ribs on top and bake for about an hour, basting occasionally with the marinade. Turn the ribs over and bake for another hour, or until the ribs are tender. Increase the heat to 200 degrees and bake the ribs without basting for about 15 minutes, or until the glaze takes on a deeper colour, then turn the racks over and bake the other side. Serve the racks whole, or sliced between the bones.
Baked maple syrup custard
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
250ml maple syrup
85ml cream
65 grams unsalted butter, plus extra for the ramekins
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp plain (all-purpose) flour
Whipped cream, for serving
Bring the maple syrup to the boil in a saucepan. Carefully stir in the cream and bring to the boil, then take the pan off the heat, add the butter and whisk until melted. Whisk in the salt and flour then cool until lukewarm. Whisk in the eggs and yolk, then strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Lightly butter four ramekins that hold about 120 grams each and put them into a baking pan that is about 3cm deep. Divide the custard mixture between the ramekins. Pour warm water into the baking pan so it comes half- way up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the custard is set - it should be just a little wobbly at the very centre. Carefully remove the baking pan from the oven and let the custard cool in the water. Serve the custard warm or cold, with whipped cream.
Maple granola
If you can find it (not easy in Hong Kong), use maple sugar in place of brown sugar, for a more intense flavour.
This recipe is adapted from one in food blog The Traveler's Lunchbox (www.travelerslunchbox.com). You need to use quick-cooking oats, not rolled oats or instant oatmeal. The nuts, seeds, spices and dried fruit can be changed according to your tastes.
450 grams quick oats, divided
300 grams mixed unsalted nuts and/or seeds (I use sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and sliced almonds)
115 grams unsalted butter
100 grams soft brown sugar (or maple sugar)
100ml maple syrup
60ml water
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
300 grams dried fruit (such as raisins, cherries, cranberries and/or chopped dates, apples and apricots)
Use a food processor to grind 200 grams of oats into a coarse flour then mix this with the rest of the oats and the nuts and seeds. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the sugar, maple syrup and water. Bring to a simmer then mix in the salt, vanilla extract and spices. Pour this over the oat/nuts mixture in a large bowl and stir well to combine. Leave for 15 to 20 minutes while preheating the oven to 150 degrees. Line two large baking trays with aluminium foil and spread the mixture in a thin, even layer. Bake for about 90 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up any large lumps. It should be completely dry but only very lightly browned (if it gets too brown, lower the heat). Remove the trays from the oven and stir in the dried fruit. Cool the mixture completely before packing into airtight containers.
You can also freeze the granola: pour it into freezer bags, squeeze out as much air as possible then pack the bag in an air-tight container.
Styling: Nellie Ming lee
 


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Susan Jung's recipes

Maple syrup recipes: maple-glazed baby back ribs, baked maple syrup custard, and maple granola

Maple-glazed baby back ribs. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Real maple syrup can add a delicious dimension to both sweet and savoury dishes, as Susan Jung demonstrates


Maple syrup recipes: maple-glazed baby back ribs, baked maple syrup custard, and maple granola

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Real maple syrup can add a delicious dimension to both sweet and savoury dishes, as Susan Jung demonstrates

Real maple syrup can add a delicious dimension to both sweet and savoury dishes, as Susan Jung demonstrates