I just ran out of maple syrup.  The last drop was added to my weekly batch of granola.  Running out of maple syrup does not sound too concerning if you live in North America- simply drive to your nearest grocery store and buy a new bottle, can or jug.

In Europe, however, I discovered that maple syrup is a hot (rare) commodity.  This makes finishing a bottle a bit more “exciting”.  The reason: IF you can find a bottle of maple syrup, it is prohibitively expensive. My recent status change in maple syrup inventory got me thinking about one of my favourite, creative maple syrup companies in Toronto called Ninutik.  Have you heard of it?  Maybe you’ve seen their designer maple sugar images floating around the Internet.

Dianne Croteau and Richard Brault, are the creators behind Ninutik.   They are maple syrup artists, designers and explorers who have managed to turn one of Canada’s cultural icons into a portfolio of  elegant, modern (and super creative) uses of maple syrup/sugar for cooking and entertaining.

01: C0c0 22 hand painted white chocolate by Dominique and Cindy Duby and filled with maple butter from master sugar maker William Haggart.

02: Cube 57 – A cube of pure maple sugar which can be grated like Parmesan cheese.

03: Bouquet 6– Maple sugar lollipops

04: Bubble 80– Limited edition maple syrup in a glass bottle by glass artist Brad Sherwood

05: Marvel 35 – A soft maple sugar tablet

06: Squeeze 250– Certified organic Canada No. 1 light pure maple syrup in a squeeze bottle.

07: Sweet 100– Granulated maple sugar

08: Pops– These are the bouquet balls of maple sugar, off the stick and ready to be added to coffee, tea, or any other beverage that you could imagine.

Which one do you like?

Recipes with Maple Syrup:

• Reclaiming Provincial: Maple Cream
• DIY Food Blog: Coffee Cake with Chocolate and Maple Syrup
• Dine and Dash: Roasted Belgian Endive
• Thyme of Taste: Pulled Pork Waffle Stack with Bourbon Maple Syrup
• Kitchen Vignettes: Eggs Poached in Maple Syrup