Tire Sur La Neige: the Sweeter Side of Winter

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2013 C HRONICLE - TELEGRAPH PAGE 7 Tire sur la neige: the sweeter side of winter never hurt anybody. There The following recipe was any cold hard surface upon was plenty of syrup in the adapted from Sofya Hundt’s which you can cool the taffy kettle, and plenty of snow Girl’s Guide to Butter (www. will be adequate. outdoors. As soon as they girlsguidetobutter.com) and On the other hand, Hundt ate one plateful, they filled www.thekitchn.com. says, “Now, you can’t be wor- their plates with snow again, A thought about using rying about whether the snow and Grandma poured more snow is pure enough for human syrup on it.” A key ingredient in any consumption – becoming Sap in the sugar maple maple taffy experience is preoccupied with that sort trees will be running soon, fresh snow. If the thought of of thing spells death to many but if you still have maple using snow from a questiona- a creative cooking idea. Go syrup stored up from last ble source concerns you, some ahead, live dangerously! Just year, you can make your own recipes suggest using crushed makes sure it is reasonably tire sur la neige any time. or shaved ice. Theoretically, clean.” Homemade maple taffy PLEASE NOTE: Because the syrup becomes extremely hot, it can cause severe burns. Be careful to supervise any children involved in this project, and be very cautious. Ingredients and supplies Photo by Bethann G. Merkle Large baking dish or similar container, filled with snow or crushed ice Tire sur la neige is ladled out onto a snow slab at Carnival. heavy-bottomed sauce pan cereal-sized bowl filled with cold water ladle and/or glass liquid measuring cup BETHA nn G. MERKLE on offer from street-corner In Little House in the Big candy thermometer BETHA nn @QCTO N LI N E .COM sugar shacks. A few coins Woods, Ingalls’ first book in will ensure a sticky, richly- the classic Little House series, ½ -1 cup of pure maple syrup hances are you have flavoured sugar high, even Laura recalls making maple a few drops of cream, half-and-half, or milk eaten maple syrup at if you share your taffy stick taffy. She described child- Method Csome point in your life. with a companion. ish delight over the winter 1. Place container of snow in freezer or outside, to keep cold. If you have lived through even Also called “sugar-on- candy in such vivid detail 2. Heat syrup on medium-high heat until it boils. This will not take long. part of a winter in Quebec, snow” and “tire d’érable” in that enterprising parents and 3. Hundt suggests pouring in a few drops of the cream or milk, to “break the surface tension, you have likely sampled maple Quebec, and “Jack wax” and imaginative children are still taming the violently boiling syrup to a more gentle boil.” taffy, too. Both amber-hued “wax on the snow” south of motivated to try it today. 4. Boil for approximately a minute, and then start checking the temperature of the syrup sweets are classic culinary the border, maple taffy has “Grandma stood by the with the candy thermometer. elements of winter and early been a North American sea- brass kettle and with the big 5. The syrup should reach the ‘soft ball stage’ (around 234 degrees Fahrenheit). Hundt spring in eastern Canada and sonal treat for over a century. wooden spoon she poured hot said, “This means that, when you drip the syrup into the bowl of cold water, it should gel the northeastern U.S. Authors such as Laura Ingalls syrup on each plate of snow. [into a ball or lump which you can handle.]” If you prefer firmer taffy, heat the syrup a bit If you wander the streets Wilder immortalized the It cooled into soft candy, and more – mere seconds. Continue testing tiny drops of syrup in the water until it reaches of Vieux-Québec this time candy, writing of woodsy tra- as fast as it cooled they ate the texture you desire. of year, you are bound to ditions practised by settlers it. They could eat all they 6. Bring the container of snow indoors, or take the syrup outside. Carefully transfer hot encounter tire sur la neige in the late 1800s. wanted, for maple sugar syrup to the liquid measuring cup or ladle directly onto the snow. 7. Allow taffy to harden for 20-30 seconds, then pick up with your fingers, or roll up on a popsicle stick or a spoon. 8. To keep the remaining syrup hot, turn down to low, place on a double-boiler of simmer- ing water, or keep in a pot of hot water. The Kitchn folks said, “[it] should not be stirred Toys & More Toys & More as it will form grainy crystals.” SALE SALE We open the world to you! &RPHÀQGQHZDQG &RPHÀQGQHZDQG XVHGLWHPV XVHGLWHPV IRUNLGVRIDOODJHV IRUNLGVRIDOODJHV 7R\V 7R\V *DPHV *DPHV %RRNV %RRNV HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY &ORWKLQJ &ORWKLQJ 9DULRXV 9DULRXV $FFHVVRULHV $FFHVVRULHV We would like to take this opportunity to )RULQIRUPDWLRQRU )RULQIRUPDWLRQRU wish everyone in the English community WRUHQWDWDEOH WRUHQWDWDEOH SOHDVHFRQWDFW SOHDVHFRQWDFW a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. -LOO*DJQRQDW -LOO*DJQRQDW We hope to see you at the Parade! 6$785'$<0$< 6$785'$<0$< CEGEP Champlain St. Lawrence will be DP²QRRQ DP²QRRQ (DVWHUQ4XpEHF/HDUQLQJ&HQWUH (DVWHUQ4XpEHF/HDUQLQJ&HQWUH there! UXH:LOOLDP6WXDUW 6WH)R\ UXH:LOOLDP6WXDUW 6WH)R\ Brought to you by Jeffery Hale Community Services Brought to you by Jeffery Hale Community Services Moms’ Nite-Out Volunteers Moms’ Nite-Out Volunteers.

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