Flavor #64 - Andrew's True North Maple

I love Canada. Beautiful country with great people. Perfect neighbors. I'd live there if it wasn't so bone chilling cold for most of the year. The one problem with Canada, as I see it, is they don't have much to offer the world when it comes to a unique cuisine. Jokes abound about donuts, beer, round bacon and Poutine. Unfair? Maybe, as it could show our common culture than it does our differences. Still, why doesn't Canada have more unique food offerings?

The Maple Leaf is the highly recognizable symbol on the national flag for our neighbors to the north. In many locations here in New England and reaching across the border in to Quebec and the Maritimes, harvesting maple syrup is a tradition that goes back to the original European settlers. Authentic maple syrup is so vastly superior to the crappy synthetic kind you find at most markets that I am shocked anyone buys anything but the original. Well, the maple leaves in my yard are beginning to change from green to hues of red and yellow, so I thought it was time to work on some Maple Ice Cream.

1 Cup of Grade B Maple Syrup reduced to 3/4 Cup

1 1/2 Cups of Heavy Cream

1 1/2 Cups of Milk

You will rarely find any recipe that will be this simple. Yes, you can add eggs if you are making a larger batch and need it to bind for a longer period. But this stuff moves so quickly around my house that adding eggs is not necessary in my small batch world. Heat the syrup to reduce the cup to 3/4, then blend in the milk and cream while it cools. Simple.

As for the name, back when I began this challenge, a number of my friends let me know their favorite flavors. Andrew is not Canadian, although he is an interesting combination of Jim Carrey and Michael J. Fox with the swagger of Greg Kinnear (who is not Canadian). He should have been a radio star but came along at a time when a great medium died. Much like the rest of us, he is stuck working for the man rather than entertaining the rest of us. This flavor is for him.

And I love Poutine and promise that I will never try to make it into an ice cream!

Enjoy!