Anna Olson's three maple syrup-spiked recipes

Roasted garlic veggie tart with maple

Ingredients

• 1 head garlic
• 250ml canola oil
• 6 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 head fennel, sliced
• 3 tbs maple syrup
• 1 tbs fresh sage, chopped
• 1 tsp lemon zest, grated
• 3 sheets phyllo pastry
• 120g feta cheese

For roasted garlic oil, preheat oven to 190°C. Peel garlic cloves and place in a baking dish. Cover with oil, stir to coat and cover dish. Bake for 40 minutes until garlic cloves are golden. Let cool.

Toss squash with three teaspoons garlic oil and season lightly. Bake squash, covered for 15 minutes at 190°C, then uncover and reduce temperature to 170°C, and bake for 20 minutes until tender. Toss cooled squash with diced red pepper, sliced fennel, maple syrup, sage and lemon zest. Season to taste.

To assemble tart, increase oven temperature back to 190°C. Spread out a sheet of phyllo (keeping other sheets covered).

Brush lightly with garlic oil and lay another sheet over it. Continue layering remaining phyllo sheets, brushing with garlic oil between each layer.

Fold phyllo in half lengthwise and gently lift and place in an ungreased rectangle (10x25cm) tart pan with a removable bottom. Spoon the squash filling into tart shell and crumble feta over. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until phyllo is a rich brown.

Serve tart warm or at room temperature.

Maple crème with almond crackle

Ingredients

• 300ml single cream
• 170ml milk
• 130ml pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg
• Pinch of cinnamon, ground

 
For the crackle

• 25g almonds, sliced
• 3 tbs pure maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Arrange small ramekins or other baking dishes in a larger one with sides that are at least the height of the ramekins.

Whisk all ingredients together and pour them into the prepared ramekins. Pour boiling water around the ramekins, so that the water comes up to about two thirds. Bake the crèmes between 35 and 45 minutes, until the crèmes are set around the outside but still jiggle a bit at the centre. Allow the custards to cool in the water-filled pan for ten minutes, then carefully remove them from the water to cool to room temperature before chilling for at least four hours.

The crackle can be prepared while the crèmes are in the oven at 160°C. Line a 20cm cake pan with aluminium foil and grease it well. Sprinkle the foil with the almonds and pour the maple syrup on top, stirring just slightly. Bake this for about 18 minutes, until the syrup is bubbling vigorously. Let the crackle cool and store at room temperature.

To serve, peel the foil away from the crackle. Break it into pieces and place them on top of the crèmes immediately before serving.

Mushrooms in maple-green peppercorn cream on crostini

Ingredients

1 tbs butter, plus extra for crostini
900g mixed mushrooms, including cremini, oyster and shiitake
1 shallot, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 tbs green peppercorns, drained
2 tbs maple syrup
250ml whipping cream
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Day-old baguette

Even button mushrooms can be superstars when enveloped in cream spiked with briny green peppercorns. Any mix of mushrooms will do but cremini, oyster and shiitake are the most readily available.

Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until tender, until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Add shallot, thyme and green peppercorns and cook for a minute. Add maple syrup, stir in, then add cream. Reduce cream for a minute or two, until thickened slightly. Season to taste.

While mushrooms are cooking, prepare crostini. Cut six thin slices of baguette on the bias. Spread a little butter on each slice and toast in an oven preheated to 200°C until just golden and crispy.

To serve, place a crostini on each plate and spoon mushrooms in sauce over.