Canadian Staple

While shopping for my trip to England and Europe, I bought a small jug of maple syrup and a tin of maple flavoured tea for a friend in England. Unfortunately, my luggage was overweight so I had to take out the maple syrup and a bunch of other heavy things like conditioner, mouthwash, body spray, etc. [which I bought my second day in England].

I had sent my friend a box of things a few years ago with maple syrup that lasted in no time so I wanted to get her some more. I was really bummed about not being able to give her the maple syrup because you can’t get this Canadian staple over there.

When I came home, I decided to keep it to myself. Why? Because I have never had pure maple syrup. It’s a little sad considering I am in a country known for it. I made pancakes and instead of using my mom’s sugar-free maple-flavoured syrup, I had the real thing poured over my buttery pancakes. So sweet and so delicious! Although, I must admit, I did feel like I was going to get diabetes afterwards.

Now that I opened the maple syrup, it’s sitting in my fridge waiting to be used again. I want to use it in unique recipes. In fact, I was talking to a Facebook friend who left me to make maple salmon. I thought that was quite interesting so I think that may be my next maple syrup recipe. Does that sound yummy or what?

Bacon in Dessert?

Ever heard the saying “Everything tastes better with bacon”? The other day I put it to the test for the first time.

I’ve never been a huge bacon fan. I like it, but it’s not something I have all the time. So my friend came over the other day for a baking night. We call each other “buddy” as we are known as baking buddies. We haven’t baked together in maybe over a year so it was so nice to have her come over and bake some goodies.

We made lemon poppyseed loaf [a lower fat version] from scratch, and she brought over sugar cookie mix for us to make as well. I thought it’d be fun to experiment with the sugar cookie mix so we divided the dough into bowls. We made cookies with chopped almonds and raisins; oats; chocolate chips; cocoa powder and chocolate chips; peanut butter; and of course, bacon!!!

I was in a daring mood so I did the bacon cookies. To make them even better, I added maple syrup to the dough to still give the cookie that sweetness without overpowering saltiness or savouriness. It reminded me of a gourmet bacon cupcake with vanilla cake and maple bacon frosting.

They sounded weird and gross, but they tasted good! The bacon added a bit of chewiness and a hint of savouriness, but the maple syrup really made the cookie come together. It was like breakfast in a cookie—pancakes with maple syrup and bacon in a cookie form!

The Great Canadian Grilled Cheese

I’m no health nut, but I try to watch what I eat. Most people just look at calories, but I look at the entire nutrition facts label—the fat, the sodium, the carbs, and especially the nutrient count. It’s nutrition that is most important to me. So what if a sandwich is 600 calories? A lot of those calories could be from the veggies in it. I try to look at things as a whole. Another important thing for me is flavour. I would never sacrifice flavour for calories. And I’ve learned over the years that you can still have the flavour and have the nutrition. So that is my philosophy when it comes to food. When I go to Subway, I choose fat-free honey mustard sauce instead of full-fat mayo. Not only is there no fat and much fewer calories, but it adds great flavour to my sub. But I must say, moderation for all things that are really bad for you. After all, you only live once!

Guys from the Gorilla Cheese food truck making their Lumberjack grilled cheese sandwich

Today I splurged. But it was soooo worth it! Six months ago, I went to my first food truck rally that was near my university. I was doing an assignment about the rising food truck revolution, something I am very passionate about. I tasted food from each food truck, and only two items set off my taste buds. Breaded and deep-fried spinach and ricotta ravioli from one truck and the “Lumberjack” grilled cheese from another truck. Since then, I made it my mission to make those two items. Six months later, I can finally say I made one of them—the “Lumberjack” grilled cheese!

The sandwich itself had bacon, aged Cheddar, granny smith apple and maple syrup. Odd combination? Maybe to you, but I thought it was genius. A few years ago, I thought it was odd. I watched Rachael Ray put apple slices on a grilled cheese sandwich and it sparked my curiosity. So I made it and it forever changed every grilled cheese sandwich since then. Not to mention the classic pairing of apples and soft cheeses like Brie.

Okay, now you don’t get the maple syrup and bacon? Well think about it, maple syrup is sweet. Haven’t you ever had pineapple-glazed ham or honey-glazed ham? It’s really no different. It’s a great combination! And when you have apples in dessert, there is usually brown sugar to go along with it. Maple syrup has the same sweetness as brown sugar so of course it would all go well together!

They called it “Lumberjack,” but I associate the term with something meatier like the Lumberjack poutine (with sausage and eggs) I saw at a poutinerie in the summer. So I’m calling mine The Great Canadian. And it’s not because I am great and because I am Canadian (although both statements are true), but it’s because all of the ingredients I used (yes, each one on the list below) are Canadian brands.

Back to my topic about nutrition and flavour. My ingredient list isn’t specific. I left it open for you to create your special grilled cheese with these ingredients. You can use any type of bread (white, wholewheat, rye, brioche), any type of cheddar (low fat, medium, mild or aged), any type of bacon (smoked, lean, turkey bacon, maple flavoured), any type of apple (Granny Smith, Macintosh, golden delicious), any type of liquid sugar (maple syrup, honey, even artificial kinds) and you can use any type of browning agent (butter, margarine, “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter,” Pam cooking spray). The options are endless, and each sandwich will taste different when you change up the types of each ingredient you use. I did that today to make a full-fat ultimate grilled cheese with and a slightly slimmer one. They both tasted delicious, but the ultimate one was definitely richer. So change up your grilled cheese experience by experimenting! Ditch the plastic cheese slices and ketchup dip for something unique like this recipe. You won’t be disappointed!

SERVINGS

2 sandwiches

TOTAL TIME

30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 4 slices of bread
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 4-6 pieces of bacon, cooked
• 2 cups of cheddar cheese (medium, mild or aged)
• 1 apple; peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons of butter

PREPARATION

1. Preheat a non-stick flat grill or pan to high heat.
2. Butter one side of all the bread slices, then face them buttered side down.
3. Evenly spread 1/2 cup of cheese on each of the four bread slices.
4. On two bread slices, put a layer of sliced apples. On the other two bread slices, put a layer of cooked bacon.  Lightly drizzle two slices [or all four slices] with maple syrup. Place together to form two sandwiches.
5. Place the sandwiches on the grill or pan. Cook for 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Then flip to the other side and cook for another 5 minutes, or until golden brown.
6. Enjoy your ultimate grilled cheese sandwich.