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Vermont is known for its strong agrarian tradition, but it also has a rich ethnic history that has influenced food and cooking in the state. The Vermont Foodways Digital Initiative seeks to preserve and digitize the state’s unique primary resources that are related to the foodways – the culture and tradition of food – of Vermont.
This series of blog posts will highlight recipes that interweave the culture and history of cooking in Vermont, drawing primarily from the rich and unique collection of cookbooks from the University of Vermont Department of Special Collections.
Sugar Pie (Tarte au Sucre) is a traditional pie from France and Belgium, made using brown or white sugar, flour, butter, salt, vanilla and cream. The Quebec province of Canada, a center of immigration from the French regions of Normandy and Poitou, adapted this recipe using maple sugar, which is in abundance during their late winter’s sugaring season.
This recipe is a variation using maple syrup in place of maple sugar, and suggests the strong French-Canadian influence on Vermont. The recipe was published in Mapletown’s Vermont Maple Syrup Cookbook (1966), which is available in the University of Vermont Department of Special Collections (call number: TX767 M3 M37 1966).
Maple Syrup Pie
- 2 cups Pure Vermont Maple Syrup
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup water
- 2/3 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 2 egg whites, for meringue
- nutmeats
Put syrup in two-quart saucepan and warm. Combine and beat thoroughly egg, egg yolks, water, flour, and salt. Mix into syrup and cook until it boils, beating it constantly to prevent sticking. Remove from fire, and add the butter and nutmeats. If you wish, add 1 tsp. vinegar; it cuts the sweetness and brings out Maple flavor. Pour into baked shell and top with meringue.
Meringue: Beat two egg whites, add 1/4 cup syrup, and mix. Top the pie. Brown in oven if you wish.
How do you incorporate maple syrup into your pies?
