Maple Syrup Season
When the winter temperature gets warmer during the day and freezing at night is the ideal temperature to ensure the sap flow, and the beginning of the maple syrup season in Quebec, the world’s largest maple syrup producer. During the maple syrup season, it is a Quebec tradition that has sugar shacks or ‘cabanes à sucre’ offer maple syrup meals as well as maple syrup products to the public.
It is an event that brings family and friends together for an afternoon for the sweet celebration of spring.
A visit to the Sucrerie des Gallant
Sucrerie des Gallant is located in Rigaud, Quebec. It was constructed from the trees that were salvaged from the 1998 ice storm. The owners, Gerry and Linda Gallant, are very welcoming people who take pride in their Sucrerie. During one of my visits, their son Steven, who is in charge of the maple syrup production, described the process of how the sap turns into liquid gold.
Maple Syrup Production
The 10,000 taps make for quite a busy spring for the Gallant family to produce maple syrup and its products. Maple syrup production begins in February and ends in April. It starts by tapping the maple trees to collect the flowing sap. Once it’s collected, the sap is boiled down at a high temperature in an evaporator until the water has evaporated and the sweet syrup remains. The maple syrup is then filtered to remove any impurities and to prepare it for canning while it’s still at a high temperature. It can also be boiled down to make maple sugar and maple taffy.
The Sucrerie des Gallant Maple Syrup Meal
A typical maple syrup meal at the Gallant Maple Pavilion consists of Country style pea soup, Homemade Paradis bread, Homemade condiments, Mesclun salad, Cole slaw with maple vinaigrette, Omelets, Homemade baked beans, Meat pie, Meatball stew, Roasted potatoes, Crispy pork rinds, Maple flavored ham, Maple flavoured sausages, Unsalted bacon, Apple stuffed crepes with maple sauce, Pancake & maple syrup, Sugar Pie, Maple fudge cake, Upside down maple cake, and Bread pudding.
Tire sur la Neige
The traditional way to end a maple syrup meal is to have the Maple Taffy on Snow or ‘Tire sur la Neige’ experience. The maple syrup is cooked to a temperature of 238ºF (114ºC). Then it’s poured on clean snow spread that has been spread in a wooden trough.
The maple taffy takes only minutes to harden so small wooden spoons are quickly distributed among the crowd anxiously waiting for the tasting to begin.
Maple Syrup Tradition
My husband and I are first generation Italian-Canadians, born and raised in Montreal. Although our parents assimilated into the Canadian culture, they upheld their Italian traditions in the home. We spoke Italian; our cuisine was Italian, and we celebrated holidays respecting our Italian traditions.
We still maintain the Italian traditions as our parents did when we were growing up in our home, but our daughters have also experienced Canadian and other ethnic cuisines at an early age. We celebrate the maple syrup season each year by visiting our favourite ‘cabane à sucre’ the Sucrerie des Gallant to embrace this rich Quebec tradition and enjoy a traditional maple syrup meal.
Sucrerie des Gallant Maple Syrup Pie Recipe
Many thanks to Linda Gallant for sharing this sweet and delicious recipe for the Sucrerie des Gallant signature Maple Syrup Pie.
Sucrerie des Gallant Maple Syrup Pie
Ingredients
- 1 cup amber maple syrup
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup Carnation condensed milk
- 1 unbaked pie crust
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Whisk the first four ingredients in a bowl until well blended.
Pour ingredients into unbaked pie crust.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Remove pie from oven. Center of pie will be jiggly. The pie
will continue to bake slowly resulting in a silky texture.2 eggs
For more information on Sucrerie des Gallant, please visit their website.
Acknowledgement
Photo credits for Sucrerie des Gallant photo: Michel Julien
Permission to print the Sucrerie des Gallant Maple Syrup Pie Recipe and photos granted by Auberge des Gallant.
Oh, Boy! Am I every going to make this pie! I have been to Sugar Shack once, and it was unforgettable, Still have the photos, and hopefully, I will write about it this year…. with this project! We didn’t get any pie, though! No wonder Gallant is your favourite, though the one we went to is old, and one of the first ones, apparently.
Where in Italy are you from? I have some dear Italian friends and have traveled through Italy many times. LOVE it and the food there! Oh, my!
Cannot wait to get this pie made, Liliana!
YUM!
🙂
V
Valerie, the pie is to die for! My mother was from Palermo and my father was from Molise. I am looking forward to visiting Sicily again. I am fortunate to be able both the Canadian and Italian culture.
PS – who is the artist that painted your header? It is stunning!
🙂
V
Thanks Valerie. I had my header designed by Liam Axe through Fine Lime Designs.
I lived in Montreal when I was in my early 20’s and went to a cabane sucre one time – it was just as you describe it – wonderful! I’m betting your sandwiches were the most delicious on the playground!
It is a wonderful experience Lindsay! Looking back now, my sandwiches probably were the most delicious on the playground.
This looks so easy to make and so delicious. I must try this recipe. Great story, too. I can hardly wait for next month. Ciao!
Sarah, this pie is easy to make. It’s creamy and sweet and you just can’t eat one slice.
Maple syrup pie, are you kidding me?!! Where has this been all my life?!! I think my goal for tonight is make this pie and not share with anyone!
Nicole, you will love this pie!
I remember heading to the sugar shack with my elementary school class and having boiled syrup thrown into the snow and wrapped around a popsicle stick. My own daughter started visiting as soon as she could open her eyes. I have photographic evidence of us being at the Elmira Syrup festival. I must admit though that I have never had this pie.
Val, I only tasted this version of the pie when we started going to the Gallant Sugar Shack. It’s my favourite.
Oh my, this looks amazing. As an Albertan I’ve never had the pleasure of trying a pie like this, but it’s definitely on my list of desserts to make now. (Unfortunately, it’s a long list, but one I’m happy to eat my way through!)
The opening of your post was fantastic!
And I most definitely have to try the pie. It sounds outstanding.
This looks amazing! Good timing, too, as I’ve been thinking about sugar pie lately. Will definitely have to try your recipe one of these days!
I was just wondering if the recipe calls sweetened condensed milk. I may be wrong, but I believe the carnation 2% is evaporated milk. Thanks in advance! Can’t wait to try it!!
As per your recipe, you say to mix the first 4 ingredients, but I only see 3 plus the pie crust. At the end of your Instructions you have 2 eggs written there, Are they part of your 4 ingredients that need to be combined together?
Ingredients
•1 cup amber maple syrup
•½ cup brown sugar
•¾ cup Carnation condensed milk
•1 unbaked pie crust
Instructions
1.Preheat oven to 350° F.
2.Whisk the first four ingredients in a bowl until well blended.
3.Pour ingredients into unbaked pie crust.
4.Bake for 45 minutes.
5.Remove pie from oven. Center of pie will be jiggly. The pie
will continue to bake slowly resulting in a silky texture.2 eggs