We may love the dazzling caramel cages, gold leaf, and apricot coulis of restaurant desserts, but when we're in our own kitchens, a blueberry pie is more likely to fill the bill. For birthdays, a tall devil's food cake is still just the right thing. And during those precious weeks when fresh strawberries are available, who wants anything fancier than strawberry shortcake?
Anyone who has ever tasted maple sap knows how much imagination is required to think that such watery fluid could become sweet syrup. So who thought to boil sap into syrup in the first place? Legend has it that an Iroquois chief by the name of Woksis threw a tomahawk into a maple tree before leaving on a hunt. The weather grew warm that day, and sap flowed from the gash in the tree into a container standing below. The squaw who collected the container thought it was filled with plain water and boiled her evening meat in it. The boiling caused the sap to be reduced to syrup, which gave the meat a whole new flavor, and the rest is history.
Servings: 6 to 8
Pastry for 9-inch single-crust pie
1 envelope (1/4 ounce) unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
3 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup hot (not boiling) milk or half-and-half
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup chopped butternuts or walnuts, plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped butternuts or walnuts, to garnish
Prepare the pie shell according to the recipe directions. Fully bake the shell and let it cool on a rack before filling.
In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water. Stir and set aside to soften.
In the top part of a double boiler, make a custard by beating the egg yolks with a wire whisk until thick and lemon colored. Gradually add the maple syrup and hot milk, mixing until combined. Place the pan over simmering water. Stir constantly until the mixture lightly coats a metal spoon. Add the softened gelatin and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Add the vanilla.
Refrigerate the custard or place the pan in a bowl of ice water, stirring until it mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon. The mixture should be cold but not set.
Beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and salt and beat until the egg whites are stiff but not dry. They should hold their shape and remain moist. Gently fold into the cold custard.
Beat the cream until stiff. Fold three quarters of it into the custard, along with 1/4 cup of the chopped nuts. Spoon into the piecrust. Refrigerate the pie for 3 to 4 hours, until firm.
Just before serving, pipe the remaining whipped cream on top of the pie. Garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons of chopped nuts.
Note: The egg whites in this recipe are not cooked. Pasteurized egg whites may be substituted.
