Maple Sugaring Program
2010 Maple Syrup Recipe
This year camp had the pleasure of working with celebrity chef Eric Ripert, executive chef of Le Barnardin, and Chair of City Harvest's Food Council, who created his own signature dish using our maple syrup - Maple Roasted Pears with Chocolate Sauce. This delicious treat is a wonderful way to top off a family dinner.
Maple Roasted Pears with Chocolate Sauce
Serves 8
4 pears
3 tablespoons butter, sliced
¼ cup maple syrup
¾ cup cream
6 ounces semisweet chocolate
Vanilla ice cream (or a flavor of your choice)
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Peel the pears, cut in half and remove the core.
- Melt butter in a large oven proof skillet (or two smaller pans) over medium heat.
- Arrange the pear halves, cut side up in the in the skillet and pour the maple syrup over the pears. Cook the pears over medium heat, basting often, until lightly caramelized on one side, about 5 minutes. Turn the pears and place the skillet in the oven and continue cooking until tender about 10-12 minutes.
- While the pears are cooking, bring the cream to a simmer in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate and stir until fully incorporated.
- To serve, place roasted pear half on the plate and top with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate sauce.
For Eric Ripert's full bio please visit aveceric.com.
Greenkill's Program
Hundreds of students each year learn about Maple Sugaring by participating in identifying healthy Sugar Maples, collecting sap from the trees and using the evaporator to create our Pure Maple Sugar. In the end, it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of Maple Syrup.
History of Maple Syrup
When the first settlers arrived in the new world the Native Americans introduced them to maple sugaring. The Algonquins called Maple Syrup "sinzibusquad" or "from the tree". By carving a chevron shape into the tree sap was collected in containers made of birch bark or clay. Red hot stones were then used to heat the sap until all water had evaporated off, leaving maple syrup.
Thanks to the guidance from Native Americans, settlers learned to reduce the damage to trees by drawing sap through the boxing or drilling method. This was important because unlike the Native Americans who were nomadic, settlers needed the trees to stay healthy to support their villages.
During the Industrial Revolution, English Tin became much more common and replaced wood as the preferred material for sap buckets, lids and spiles. Tin buckets were also cheaper; easier to store and resistant to the elements. Lids became common as they kept bugs, tree debris and rodents out of the buckets.
Today we favor more modern collection techniques. We use both sap sacs and pipelines, which are more efficient than buckets in collecting sap from the tree. The blue plastic allows ultraviolet light through, sterilizing the sap.
While the sap sacs are easier to maintain than buckets, pipelines are best, since they keep the sap from contact with the air until it reaches the Sugar Shack. Once collected, sap is boiled in an evaporator until it reaches a temperature of 219 degrees Fahrenheit and has a 67% sugar content. It is then drawn off and bottled.
Collecting the Sap
During the early spring, there is a small window of opportunity to collect sap from the Sugar Maples. As the sun beings to warm the forest floor, it triggers Sugar Maples to begin transporting their sap from the roots up to the tips of the branches. Temperature plays a big part in controlling the flow of sap, collection is best when the temperature falls below freezing at night and warms up to the 40's during the day. Once the tree begins to grow leaves, the sap changes chemically and can no longer be used for Maple Syrup.
2009 Maple Syrup Recipe
This year the New York YMCA Camp a branch of the YMCA of Greater New York was lucky to work with celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit, who created his own signature recipe with camp’s maple syrup - YMCA Maple Syrup Glazed Tuna. The recipe is quick, simple and easy for families to cook and enjoy together.
Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s recipes for YMCA: Maple-Glazed Tuna and Pear-Potato Salad
Maple-Glazed Tuna
4 servings
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup olive oil
4-6 ounce tuna fillets
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Whisk together the mustard, maple syrup, lime juice and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Set aside.\
Season the tuna on both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat the remaining oil in a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Add the tuna and cook for 30 seconds on each side. Remove from pan and brush on both sides with the maple-mustard glaze. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with Pear-Potato Salad.
Pear-Potato Salad
4 servings
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters or 1/2-inch pieces
2 pears, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 tablespoon curry powder
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
