Sugar Buzz

I'm not usually the type to feature other people's recipes, but sometimes it can't be helped since they're so damn good--especially when compared to my own.  Caroline's pouding chomeur, or poor man's pudding, comes from the Soupe Soup, a small restaurant up in Montreal.  There it got the attention of neighbor Martin Picard, and from there it crossed the Canadian border.

Consumption aside, the glory of the recipe comes from the low level of difficulty, financial resources required, and that most probably have all the necessary ingredients on hand at all times--eggs, butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, maple syrup, and cream.

My secret weapon in the dish is grade A maple syrup from Burton's Maplewood Farm.  Don't believe that this is better than your favorite aunt?  The trees on Burton's Maplewood Farm grow deep in the rich Southern Indiana soil and the syrup runs even deeper in the roots of the Burton Family tree.  In 1810, family patriarch, Jacob Flinn, and his family settled into Southern Indiana at a time when a border dispute was being negotiated between the US government and the Potawatomis.  It was here the Flinns first tapped the maples, boiling the sap in a large iron kettle.  One dark and foggy day, with a misty rain falling, the Potawatomis attacked the homestead and took Jacob prisoner.  They took a liking to the syrup kettle and on the long journey back to their village, 56 year old Jacob was forced to carry it on his head and shoulders.  Once at the village, Flinn gained the trust of his captors and eventually made a daring escape in one of their canoes.  Paddling by night and hiding out by day, he eventually made his way back to his beloved homestead which had since been declared part of US territory.  Two hundred years later, Flinn's ancestors, the Burtons, honor their family's legacy by continuing to produce their 100% pure maple syrup.  It's a taste of history.

I hear it's a true story too.

To start, combine the butter and sugar in a mixer.  Add the eggs, and when all is combined, mix in the flour and baking powder.  Place in the fridge for at least 24 hours--which makes this an awesome dish to do ahead of time for parties.

The next day, bring the maple syrup and cream to a boil in a sauce pan.  Place the dough in a baking pan, or divided in a number of ramekins, cover with the syrup and cream mixture, then cook at 450 Dg for 15-20 minutes.  Make sure they're cooked with a toothpick, then get buzzed while honoring the Flinns.

Don't forget to top with ice cream, or to line your baking sheet with foil.

Quantities (to fill 8 ramekins):

• 2 eggs
• 6 oz butter
• 1 C sugar
• 7/4 C all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 C maple syrup
• 2 C cream

Comments

[Aashay Desai]

It's so easy a bachelor can do it!

[Chef E]

Ha that delectable photo you posted makes me want to dive in...so close, but yet so far away! hmmm, I have not made a pudding in quite a while, so off to the drawing board on that thought...

[Stash]

Yeah I filled the ramekins a bit much, but I like the uh 'rustic' homemade look it gives.

[Matthew]

Hey, I found this through Gaper's Block. I know this recipe well, having made 50 every day, and I just wanted to say that, at Au Pied de Cochon, we didn't boil the syrup and cream separately. Instead, we poured the mixture (uncooked) over the dough and then just baked the sucker at 550 or so until it boiled, then brought the temperature down to 375 or 400 until it browned. Takes out a step and saves cleaning a pan. Thought you might like to know that.

Also, if you ever have to work 12 hours without a meal break, eating one of these with some cream poured on top at about the 8 hour mark is great pick-me-up.