Maple sugar?

I made a maple buttermilk pie the other night (recipe from gourmet.com) and it was really good, but I didn't have any maple sugar. The pie didn't completely lack maple flavor, but maple wasn't out front like I'd hoped. I'm guessing that the maple sugar supplies an amount of flavor that would otherwise take too much syrup, making the filling too runny. I used a pretty powerful syrup, but it wasn't enough for my maple needs.
So, before I waste time going store to store, anyone know where I could buy some maple sugar? I'm in the western burbs.
Olaf
p.s. If you like maple, make pudding (or pouding) chomeur. There are a lot of recipes online, including at least one really good on on epicurious (but many don't involve maple syrup--avoid those, as without the maple it would just be insanely sweet). Or you can go to amazon, search for the Au Pied de Cochon album, then use the search inside feature to find pudding or maple or something. It's on page 97. I first encountered pudding chomeur at Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal and it was, without a doubt, one of the few best desserts I've ever had. Serve bubbling hot with some good vanilla ice cream on a cold fall or winter night. It's now our xmas eve dessert tradition.

I have seen it at Whole Foods and the Spice House.

king arthur catalog.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/items/Maple_Sugar

If you've got the syrup, why not just make the maple sugar at home? Just simmer it a bit, stirring, to remove as much water as possible. More on ways to do it here.

I bought mine at The Spice House. It's good on a lot of things, I use it all the time on toast.

Olaf wrote:anyone know where I could buy some maple sugar? I'm in the western burbs.

Olaf,

I've bought maple sugar at The Spice House.

As an aside, I've found a 50/50 mix of Spice House Vulcan Fire Salt and granulated maple sugar are one of the better popcorn toppings I've tried over the years.

Enjoy,
Gary

Picked it up at Whole Foods this morning. It was a buck more expensive than King Arthur, but no shipping costs. I think making it would be more expensive, as it would take a fair amount of syrup and the good stuff's not cheap.
Thanks for the tips. I like some of the ideas on that maple candy page.
Olaf

G Wiv wrote:As an aside, I've found a 50/50 mix of Spice House Vulcan Fire Salt and granulated maple sugar are one of the better popcorn toppings I've tried over the years.

Thank you for a reason to visit the Spice House during my lunch break tomorrow and to have a stay-in movie night this weekend.

I get mine off of Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Pure-Maple-Sugar- ... 478&sr=8-2

We use it on toast, pancakes, or waffles almost every day, so the bigger bag is worth it to me. I usually buy two pounds at a time. Even with shipping, it's less than the local options. (Sorry, Spice House. Though I do love you for many many other things)

Not exactly convinient, but the Dane County Farmer's Market in Madison usually has a couple of vendors with all things maple, including mape sugar.

happy_stomach wrote:Thank you for a reason to visit the Spice House during my lunch break tomorrow and to have a stay-in movie night this weekend.

Nothing says movie night like curling up on the couch with Shakes the Clown, Bobcat Goldthwait's masterpiece of modern cinema, a big bowl of popcorn sprinkled with vulcan fire salt and maple sugar.

Enjoy,
Gary

You may already know this, but the darker grades of Maple Syrup seem to have more flavor. I've gotten B grade at Whole Foods (it's a bit too strong normally for putting on pancakes but great as part of a Maple glaze for roasted salmon)

leek wrote:You may already know this, but the darker grades of Maple Syrup seem to have more flavor. I've gotten B grade at Whole Foods (it's a bit too strong normally for putting on pancakes but great as part of a Maple glaze for roasted salmon)

IMHO, using a Grade B syrup is ideal for maple sugar and imparts a stronger taste than the lighter Grade A syrup.

Do realize that the grading of the product is not a quality rating but is a rating of the color and clarity of the syrup. The syrup from the earlier maple sap tends to be much lighter than that gathered in the latter part of the season.

Up until this year, my in-laws made and sold maple syrup and maple sugar in northern Ohio but did not produce this year due to health issues and problems with the evaporator.

My son and family were on a fall-color jaunt through New England a few years ago and stopped at a roadside maple syrup plant. They were advised by the owner (who, I believe, was stirring a kettle at the time) that they should stick to Grade B for the most flavor.

TJ's has a nice Grade B Dark for a pretty reasonable price: a quart is about $12. We use it for most of our syrup needs (except that, since I was a kid in Missouri, I became very fond of sorghum syrup, so we keep that on hand, too. It's pretty hard to find, though, and is often sold as sorghum-flavored corn syrup.) Buyer beware.

MikeLM wrote: We use it for most of our syrup needs (except that, since I was a kid in Missouri, I became very fond of sorghum syrup, so we keep that on hand, too. It's pretty hard to find, though, and is often sold as sorghum-flavored corn syrup.) Buyer beware.

Yes, similarly - beware of "Maple Sugar Candy" (real maple sugar will say "pure") sometimes boxed beautifully, usually in cute little shapes like pilgrims and turkeys. Unfortunately, if you don't check the ingredients, you get something made with white sugar and maple extract, with maybe a little maple sugar in it, it's hard and awful.

Take a trip to Quebec, land of all things maple. I went thinking it was an exaggerated stereotype. Turns out it's not.
Olaf