Maple Syrup Awesomeness

One of the things I have consistently remarked on since moving to Maine, is how amazing, incredible, spectacular and delicious the food is. There are many reasons why this is the case, one of them being the large number of farms located here leading to an abundance of fresh foods (and fresh food always tastes better!). One type of farm that is (thankfully) common is maple syrup farms and sugarhouses!

Every year on the fourth Saturday in March, Maine celebrates their maple syrup tradition with “Maine Maple Sunday”. Syrup producers all over the state offer visitors a range of activities and food to enjoy and celebrate with family and friends. I decided this year not to go anywhere special to celebrate, but would instead bring maple syrup delight into my apartment.

I started it off with my normal Sunday morning tradition of adding a little syrup to my morning coffee. I’ve being doing this for a few months now, and love the subtle sweetness it brings to my favorite drink. Of course, a day like Maine Maple Sunday calls for something a little more substantial than simple syrup in coffee…

Last year a co-worker spent her honeymoon fishing in Alaska. She very generously had provided me with some salmon from that trip and I had just enough left for one more cooking dish. I had been looking for a special slightly unique recipe to use it for and knew I had discovered it the instant I saw a recipe for Maple Cardamom Glazed Salmon. The recipe looked really really good, but of course the taste hinged on me not screwing it up. I am thrilled to report that my attempt was overwhelmingly successful and that this combination of syrup and spices is an excellent way to enjoy one of the best fish out there! To complete my dinner I cooked up some peas and roasted a butternut squash with garlic and rosemary (side note: the combination of smells from cooking salmon and roasting squash is in and of itself incredible). For some added spice I ground up some red pepper over it all, and dug in!

I finished off the holiday with one of my favorite healthy treats – sliced banana bites with maple almond butter and cinnamon sprinkled on top! Overall, a very successful day of cooking and enjoying delicious some delicious food all in honor of one of America’s favorite treats.

If anyone is interested in the recipe I used here is the link to it: http://food52.com/recipes/16655-maple-cardamom-glazed-salmon