4 ways to dress up food and drinks with maple syrup

Maple syrup is one of Canada's most popular foods – perhaps even its most popular – and a delicious way to enhance almost any dish, both sweet or savoury. If you're looking for some creative ways to use maple syrup to dress up the flavour of food and drinks, here are four great ideas.

A delicious use for maple syrup that many people don't think about is salad dressing. Maple syrup adds a good thickening element to dressing and it can also balance out tangy and rich flavours with its sweetness.

• A good way to make maple syrup dressing is to mix half of a cup of it with three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and a half a cup of olive oil.
• Whisk these ingredients together, then add salt and pepper.
• Mix the dressing well, then use it on your salad. You can also keep this dressing in a jar to shake up and use later.

Maple syrup has a complex flavour, and it can make the meat in a hamburger taste nutty and delicious.

• Mix several tablespoons of maple syrup into the ground beef.
• If you want to give the burgers an extra-crispy, caramel-like glazing, drizzle maple syrup on burgers while they cook in a pan.

Maple syrup burgers are a great thing to eat topped with rich, contrasting flavours, like bacon and cheese.

When making cold drinks like iced tea or lemonade, people usually use sugar or simple syrup to make drinks sweet.

• Instead of regular sugar, use maple syrup in your drinks. You can add maple sugar in the same ratio as simple syrup, and simply mix it into the drinks. You'll end up with a richer, but similarly sweet, refreshing treat.
• To make lemonade with maple syrup, simply combine ice-cold water, freshly squeezed lemons, and a tablespoon or two of maple syrup.

Maple syrup is a great accoutrement to cook chicken with since its strong, sweet flavour helps to enhance poultry's mild taste.

• To glaze chicken using maple syrup, mix half a cup of maple syrup with some soy sauce, then boil the mixture.
• Once it boils and reduces to about half the amount, brush it over chicken, then cook chicken as you usually do.
• You can also use the reduction to baste the chicken as it cooks.

Maple chicken pairs well with spicy foods or citrusy, fresh greens.

Maple syrup isn't just for pancakes. And why enjoy it only in springtime? Experiment with it on different types of foods and in recipes and who knows what kinds of delicious discoveries you'll make!

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