Maple Butter Kiss Food

CORN CAKE BREAKFAST STACKS WITH MAPLE BUTTER

Steps:

• For the corncakes, whisk together eggs, buttermilk and melted butter in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in corn kernels. Sift together cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the buttermilk-corn mixture and stir until just combined. Let stand for 20 minutes in a cool place.
• For the maple butter: blend the softened butter with 1/2 cup maple syrup in a small bowl and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, brown the bacon strips. Drain them on paper towels and transfer to a cookie sheet. Sprinkle the apple slices with cinnamon and salt to taste. Sear them in bacon renderings until golden brown and place them on the sheet pan with the bacon. Wipe out your skillet and return to medium heat. Add just enough butter to coat the bottom of the skillet and ladle 1/4 cup corn batter. Let cook until the edges of the pancake start to brown and bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 minutes. Flip, cook another 2 minutes, then transfer to the cookie sheet with the apples and the bacon. Repeat until you have a dozen corncakes.
• Place the cookie sheet and your serving plates in the oven until everything is warm, about 4 minutes. On each plate, place 1 corn cake, top that with 2 strips of bacon, another corn cake, 2 slices of apple and another corn cake. Top with maple butter and drizzle the plate with some of the warmed maple syrup. Garnish with a sprig of mint, powdered sugar and a few fresh berries if you desire.

MAPLE BUTTER KISS

Steps:

• Pour liquid ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a martini glass and top with fresh-ground nutmeg.;

ALMOST-FAMOUS MAPLE-BUTTER BLONDIES

Steps:

• Make the blondies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter the foil. Pulse 1/2 cup walnuts in a food processor until almost fine (do not overprocess). Whisk the ground nuts, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
• Beat 10 tablespoons butter and the brown sugar with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate and the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts.
• Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until the blondies are light brown around the edges and spring back when pressed, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly on a rack.
• Meanwhile, make the topping: Place the maple syrup and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the mixture bubbles and thickens, swirling the pan, about 6 minutes. Add the cream and continue to cook until the mixture is the consistency of caramel.
• Use the foil to lift the blondies out of the pan, then cut into large bars. Serve warm topped with ice cream, the maple-butter sauce and the walnuts.

MAPLE BUTTER

Steps:

• In a bowl, blend the butter, maple syrup, and allspice together until light and smooth. Refrigerate and use as a spread or melt and drizzle over pancakes, grilled sweet potatoes or popcorn.