got sap?

it's SPRING! an official declaration is in order! the snow is decreasing, the sun is increasing, and i can't even think about down parkas for one second more! thoughts of sock-less shoes, picnics in the sun, and maple syrup cross my mind. maple sapping is in full swing! folks are collecting and boiling down sap over fires, in large cauldruns, all over cook county and beyond. last week our generous neighbors across the bay gave us a jar of their maple syrup, still warm! we were given a taste of some maple candy, made from the same batch of syrup, and it was awesome!

with a jar of maple syrup, which i now think of on a majestic level, i am immediately thinking about what good eats this sap is going to be a part of. as i am flipping through recipes, ideas, and notes that i have been writing myself on various scraps of papers and napkins,i remember this cocktail recipe. it involved muddling maple syrup with cooked bacon, and finishing with whiskey. this sounds great, however, i'm thinking about something a bit more along the lines of schmarren. schmarren, or scrambled pancake, is an austrian treat that my grandmother used to whip up for my brothers and i. it is literally a scrambled pancake, and when it's adorned with a dollop of butter and a drizzle of fresh maple syrup, i have flashbacks of all the comforts and quirks that came with my grams. she was one righteous babe, so as a tip of the hat to grams and our awesome neighbors, let's make a round of schmarren.....


6 eggs, seperated
2 cups milk
pinch of sea salt
1 Tbl sugar*
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour*
1 Tbl butter

preheat the oven to 400 degrees. place a cast iron skillet in the oven to preheat as well.
beat together the egg yolks, milk, salt, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. gradually stir the flour into the egg mixture. gently fold in the egg whites.
pour the batter into the preheated cast iron skillet, place into the oven, and allow to bake about 15 minutes.
remove the pan from the oven, and tear the pancake into bits, and allow the bits to scramble in the hot skillet. add the butter, and toss the scrambled pancake until it's coated in melted butter. drizzle with maple syrup, and belly up!

*don't be afraid to use sugar substitutes! replace the sugar with maple syrup or honey.
*i use a blend of the whole wheat pastry flour and all purpose flour that we carry @ the co-op. i'm sure buckwheat flour would be great too!