The one thing I love about March, aside from it being Olive’s month, is the maple syrup! As soon as the forecast starts to slightly turn warm, you can spot the sap buckets and lines everywhere you drive. I love the sight of sugar shacks coming alive after a long break. Watching the steam billow from the stacks as you drive past a hidden shack in the woods makes my taste buds sore.
I can remember going to Grandma’s house when I was young to help collect sap (and by “help” I mean drink sap straight from the tree). My dad and uncles would ride the ol’ Allis Chalmers tractor around from tree to tree, dumping the buckets into large barrels as we ran behind them sucking on the taps, getting every last drop of that sweet maple nectar. I used to love to watch as my they boiled down the sap in my Grandfathers old outdoor arch and eating making maple toffee in the snow when a batch would come off. I hold these maple memories close to my heart. It was a family tradition to gather at the homestead, everyone working together to produce a years worth of syrup. Nowadays, it seems like traditions like these die off. Families grow busy, time evaporates, and soon a tradition becomes a memory.
This year we were lucky to get our hands on a bottle of fresh early season syrup from World Champion Maple Syrup makers, Leggett’s Maple Sugar Bush! Really, there is nothing better than the taste of freshly boiled syrup. They have won the title of World Champions twice and have many other accolades to display on the walls of their sugar shack. I think if I had won’t the title of World Champion Maple Syrup, I’d definitely be wearing a medal around my neck and have a flask full of syrup in my pocket wherever I went to spread the sugary love (and reminding people that I was a champion) wherever I went. In my opinion, this is the best World Champion title to win, hands down! Lucky for us, this World Champion is Olive’s Bus Driver!
I’ve been waiting for maple season to come upon us to try these amazing Japanese Pancakes. These mountain-high souffled pancakes deserved the best fresh-from-the-tree-syrup. I decided to take it to the next level by adding cocoa powder (because who needs more sweetness??!!) and topping with a cube of butter and chopped pistachios. When I popped these babies out of the molds, I don’t think Olive’s eyes could have been any bigger! “Is that just ONE, Momma?”
Brucey, your syrup added the most fantastic finish to these monster pancakes!!
CHOCOLATE JAPANESE PANCAKES WITH PISTACHIOS AND CANADIAN MAPLE SYRUP
makes 5 – 2.5″ pancakes
ingredients
2 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
200 mL buttermilk
4 Tbsp, white sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. Japanese mayonnaise
210g all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 Tbsp. dark cocoa powder
maple syrup, for serving
butter, for serving
pistachios, chopped, for serving
steps
Separate egg yolks and egg whites. Place egg whites in fridge until ready to use.
In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla, and mayonnaise until combined.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour,baking powder and cocoa powder. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients and gently mix with a whisk until batter is creamy and smooth.
Beat the chilled egg whites in the bowl of an electric stand mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.
Scoop out one third of the beaten egg whites and add to your batter. Gently fold in the egg whites from the bottom. Carefully mix the remaining egg whites into the batter until foamy and smooth. Do not over mix.
Lightly grease the inside of five 2.5-inch ring holds or cookie cutters with cooking oil spray.
Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and spray lightly with cooking oil. Arrange the prepared molds on to the pan, leaving enough space between them.
Fill each ring mold about ⅔ full with batter. Cover with a lid and cook until the batter rises to the top of the ring molds and is cooked on the bottom, about 4 minutes.
Using a spatula and an oven glove, carefully place the spatula under the pancake and, whilst holding the ring, gently flip it on the other side. Make sure to flip quickly as the uncooked batter on the top will ooze!
Cover and cook for a further 4 minutes until pancakes are completely cooked and golden on both sides.
Carefully push the pancakes out of the molds onto a serving plate.
Top the pancakes with butter, chopped pistachios and WORLD CHAMPION Canadian Maple Syrup!
