The wide world of maple

We know about maple desserts and glazing a filet of salmon with maple, but there’s a new world of flavours for common vegetables if you give them the maple treatment. That was the message of the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers at a dinner held earlier this month at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

The menu offered creation after creation, each artistically pleasing. Some flavours were exceptional, some seriously offbeat. French chef Armand Arnal, chosen by the federation this year to help persuade European chefs to use maple syrup in cooking, was chef of the night. His restaurant, La Chassagnette in Arles, holds a Michelin star for its cuisine, and his garden offers 180 varieties of vegetables and aromatics.

The federation runs a contest to promote the use of maple syrup. For this year’s edition, which runs from Thursday to July 1, the 100 members of the federation’s Route de l’érable (laroutedelerable.ca) are being asked to submit a recipe that combines a pure maple product with vegetables and aromatic ingredients. Arnal will be head judge and give the winner a fiveday cooking course in his restaurant kitchen. The three top entries will be announced in the fall.

Seventeen new members have been added to Quebec’s maple route, which is made up of chefs, bakeries, pastry and candy shops and other enterprises that guarantee to offer maple products year round. The Laval pastry shop Marius et Fanny and the Laurentian inn L’eau à la Bouche are among newcomers.

A printed copy of the route is available at the Montreal Infotouriste centre, 1255 Peel St., or by calling 450-679-7021.

The federation announced a new tool to analyze maple syrup quality. It’s an “electronic tongue” that can be used when syrup is graded to check for flavour defects, impurities and additives pretending to be maple. And a collection of about 400 maple recipes is now available at ilovemaple.ca (jaimelerable.ca).