7 delicious ways to use maple syrup

If you spend your entire life drizzling maple syrup solely on pancakes or waffles, you're missing out on a whole world of flavour. Try these seven unexpected ideas.

1. To make better-than-usual applesauce, put one kilogram (32 ounces) peeled, cored and coarsely chopped apples (preferably McIntosh) in a pot. Add 500 grams (16 ounces) sliced rhubarb (fresh or frozen) and 50 millilitres (1/4 cup) water. Cover and cook over medium heat until all of the fruit is soft, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 90 millilitres (six tablespoons) pure maple syrup. Serve with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.
2. For an instant, homemade granola with a sweet surprise, improvise a mix of ­oatmeal with maple syrup, honey, nuts, sunflower seeds and mixed chopped dried fruit such as dried cranberries and/or cherries.
3. For a delicious fruit dessert, arrange 12 fresh pineapple slices in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine 45 millilitres (three tablespoons) maple syrup, 30 millilitres (two tablespoons) brown sugar and 10 millilitres (two teaspoons) rum. Brush over the pineapple slices. Roast in a 200°C (400°F) oven for 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and place the baking sheet under the broiler until the pineapple is golden brown, about one minute.
4. To make a Cobb salad something special, use maple syrup in the dressing. Arrange chopped lettuce, avocado, hard-cooked egg, cooked and crumbled bacon, and blue cheese on plates. For the dressing, mix together the drippings from the cooked bacon, olive oil, vinegar, mustard and maple syrup.
5. To deepen the flavour of chicken wings, use maple syrup instead of sugar or honey in the glaze. Pure maple syrup and hot sauce make an irresistible sweet-and-sour combination.
6. To give whipped cream an autumnal flavour, sweeten it with maple syrup instead of sugar. Whip 250 millilitres (one cup) chilled heavy cream in a chilled bowl using chilled beaters. When the cream just holds a shape, add 50 millilitres (1/4 cup) pure maple syrup. Beat until the cream holds soft peaks when the beaters are lifted. Serve chilled.
7. To make an easy glaze for roast pork or poultry, mix 125 millilitres (1/2 cup) pure maple syrup, 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) Worcestershire sauce and 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) olive oil. Brush onto the meat during the last 30 minutes of roasting.

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