the sugar shack
slow cooker
The slow cooker and the sugar shack have a lot in common—people either love it or they don’t. There are two camps: the “pro–maple sugar shack” and the “anti–maple sugar shack” people. Personally, I am all for it. I go every year. For me, springtime is not synonymous with budding flowers and little birds but rather with baked beans and “grand-père” maple dumplings. For those of you who profess to be part of the “anti” group, I just know there is a sugar shack fan inside you screaming to be let out. Perhaps you just have not found the right one for you—too big, too small, or too far. When you do find the right one, visiting the sugar shack becomes a regular pilgrimage. Once a year, you fast for two days so you have room for pea soup, maple-glazed ham, and maple taffy on snow. If you are part of the “pro” group and, like me, simply can’t wait for that time of year, take out your slow cooker. You’ll delight in all the maple syrup fare in the comfort of your own home.
recipes for sugar shack fans
CREAM OF BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH MAPLE SYRUP
MAPLE-BRAISED PORK WITH PARSNIPS AND POTATOES
PEA SOUP
Preparation 20 MINUTES
Cook 6 HOURS
Serves 6
Freezes well
Before making pea soup, my mother used to soak the peas and scrub them to remove the hard outer layers. Here is a version with much less work and a whole lot of taste. We chose split peas because soaking is not needed; neither is scrubbing them.
115 g (1/4 lb) streaked salt pork, without rind, diced
15 mL (1 tbsp) olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
375 mL (1-1/2 cups) split peas
1.5 L (6 cups) chicken broth
1 bay leaf
500 mL (2 cups) shredded cooked ham (optional)
Salt and pepper
1 In a large skillet, brown the salt pork in the oil. Add the onion and cook until tender and translucent. Transfer to the slow cooker.
2 Add the carrots, celery, split peas, broth, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper.
3 Cover and cook on low for 6 hours (or 8 hours for a creamier soup). Remove the bay leaf and stir in the ham, if using. Adjust the seasoning.
BAKED BEANS
baked beans
Preparation 15 MINUTES
Soak 12 HOURS
Cook 10 HOURS
Quantity 1.5 L (6 CUPS)
Freezes well
Lots of people bake their beans overnight. The biggest advantage of using the slow cooker is that you don’t have to get up in the middle of the night to stir them! Also, less energy is consumed than if you had the oven on all night. In the morning you can keep the beans on warm until you are ready for brunch. However, if you don’t want your pyjamas to smell of beans, plug in your slow cooker in the garage to cook them!
750 mL (3 cups) dried navy beans
2 cloves
1 onion, peeled and halved
1.125 L (4-1/2 cups) chicken broth
125 mL (1/2 cup) maple syrup
115 g (1/4 lb) streaked salt pork, without rind, diced
30 mL (2 tbsp) molasses (fancy)
5 mL (1 tsp) dry mustard
Salt
1 Place the beans in a large bowl. Cover with water and let soak overnight at room temperature. Add water if needed so the beans are always submerged. Rinse and drain.
2 Stud a clove into each onion half.
3 In the slow cooker, combine all the ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. Remove the onion and cloves. Adjust the seasoning.
MAPLE AND BEER–BRAISED HAM
Preparation 15 MINUTES
Cook 10 HOURS Serves 10 Freezes well
1 bone-in smoked ham shoulder (about 3 kg/6-1/2 lb)
30 mL (2 tbsp) Dijon mustard
3 or 4 cloves
1 bottle (341 mL) pale ale
180 mL (3/4 cup) maple syrup
1 Remove the mesh from the ham. Place the ham in the slow cooker. Brush with the mustard and stud with the cloves.
2 Add the beer and maple syrup. Pour water over the ham until the liquid is 5 cm (2 inches) from the rim of the cooker.
3 Cover and cook on low for 10 hours or until the ham is fork-tender. If possible, turn the ham over halfway through cooking.
4 Remove the ham from the cooker and slice thinly or break into pieces. Keep the cooking juices (about 2.25 L/9 cups) to cook whole potatoes, if desired.
SOUFFLÉED OMELETTE
Preparation 15 MINUTES
Cook 2 HOURS
Serves 6
When it comes to the slow cooker, one usually thinks of dishes cooked for many hours at a low temperature. But you can get surprisingly good results for recipes like souffléed omelette. Since there is never any room left in the oven when preparing a sugar shack meal, our slow cooker is the perfect solution for this delicious sugar shack treat.
60 mL (1/4 cup) all-purpose flour
5 mL (1 tsp) baking powder
2.5 mL (1/2 tsp) salt
10 eggs
375 mL (1-1/2 cups) milk
Pepper
1 Butter the inside of the slow cooker.
2 In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the eggs until smooth. Stir in the milk. Season with pepper.
3 Transfer to the cooker. Cover and cook on low for about 2 hours or until the omelette is nice and fluffy.
4 You can keep the souffléed omelette on warm for about an hour, covered. Serve as soon as you take the lid off. A soufflé collapses easily.
CREAM OF BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH MAPLE SYRUP
Preparation 30 MINUTES
Cook 4 HOURS
Serves 4 TO 6
Freezes well
This soup showcases two of the most popular ingredients during maple syrup season: pork (bacon) and maple syrup. It adds a contemporary note to this time of the year.
Soup
1.5 L (6 cups) peeled and cubed butternut squash
875 mL (3-1/2 cups) chicken broth
60 mL (1/4 cup) maple syrup
1 onion, chopped
A pinch ground nutmeg
A pinch ground ginger
Salt and pepper
Bacon croutons
2 slices bacon, diced
30 mL (2 tbsp) olive oil
2 slices white bread, cut into small cubes
1 SOUP In the slow cooker, combine all the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. In a blender, purée the soup, using most but not all of the cooking liquid. Add more liquid if needed. Adjust the seasoning.
2 BACON CROUTONS In a skillet, brown the bacon in the oil. Add the bread cubes and brown them, stirring constantly. Serve the soup in bowls and garnish with the bacon croutons.
MAPLE-BRAISED PORK WITH PARSNIPS AND POTATOES
Preparation 20 MINUTES
Cook 9 HOURS
Serves 6
This is a recipe for beginners. You place everything in the slow cooker for 9 hours. It’s as simple as that! The lemon juice adds a wonderful flavour, but it is also important for the parsnips—it prevents them from darkening.
500 mL (2 cups) apple cider
180 mL (3/4 cup) maple syrup
30 mL (2 tbsp) dry mustard
3 onions, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
1 bone-in pork shoulder roast (about 1.4 kg/3 lb), not tied
454 g (1 lb) parsnips, peeled and halved lengthwise
12 baby red potatoes
30 mL (2 tbsp) olive oil
15 mL (1 tbsp) lemon juice
Salt and pepper
1 In the slow cooker, combine the cider, maple syrup, and dry mustard. Add the onions and bay leaves. Add the pork, making sure it is nestled well in the onions. Season with salt and pepper.
2 In a bowl, combine the parsnips and potatoes with the oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Place the vegetables over the meat.
3 Cover and cook on low for 9 hours. The meat should be fork-tender.
POOR MAN’S MAPLE PUDDING CAKE
Preparation 20 MINUTES
Cook 2 HOURS
Rest 15 MINUTES
Serves 8
A sugar shack meal is not complete without a maple syrup dessert. Pudding cakes are easy to make in a slow cooker. Actually, the best slow cooker dessert recipes are the ones that require a lot of moisture. Another advantage when making these pudding cakes in the slow cooker: the sauce never spills over the sides or sticks to the bottom of the oven.
560 mL (2-1/4 cups) maple syrup (1 can)
500 mL (2 cups) 35% cream
500 mL (2 cups) all-purpose flour
5 mL (1 tsp) baking powder
1 mL (1/4 tsp) baking soda
1 mL (1/4 tsp) salt
125 mL (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
180 mL (3/4 cup) sugar
2.5 mL (1/2 tsp) vanilla extract
2 eggs
180 mL (3/4 cup) milk
1 In a saucepan, bring the maple syrup and cream to a boil. Pour into the slow cooker.
2 In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3 In another bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. On low speed, add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk. With an ice cream scoop or a large serving spoon, scoop the batter onto the hot syrup.
4 Place a clean cloth over the cooker, making sure it does not touch the batter, and cover with the lid. The cloth ensures that no water will drip onto the cake. Cook on high for 2 hours. Remove the lid and cloth and let rest for 15 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
