Wichita Eagle Holiday Cookbook 2012 Secret Ingredient: Maple Syrup

First place

BACON MAPLE CHEESECAKE

CRUST:

¼ cup sugar

1 pkg. graham crackers, crushed

¼ cup butter, melted

FILLING:

3 pkgs. (8oz. each) cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons flour

1teaspoon maple extract

3 eggs

½ cup bacon pieces, cooked and chopped

1/3 cup bacon, cooked and chopped

Pure maple syrup

For crust, combine sugar and crackers. Stir in melted butter. Spray 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Place crust mixture into pan and pat down until firm, covering bottom of pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool.

For filling, combine first 5 ingredients and beat until creamy. Add bacon pieces and fold in. Add eggs but beat them just enough to mix. Pour mixture into cooled springform pan.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Place pie pan with water on bottom shelf. Bake cheesecake for 50 to 60 minutes. Check cheesecake; the very center will still be jiggly and may be cracked. Shut oven off and leave door slightly open for about 45 minutes; cheesecake will finish baking. Remove cheesecake from oven and run knife around edge to loosen cake. Cool and place in refrigerator. Before serving drizzle syrup on cheesecake, top cake with 1/3 cup of bacon. Drizzle more syrup over bacon.

Keep cold.

This family recipe is a hit with anyone who tries it.

James Kennard, Rose Hill

Second place

BACON BOURBON GLAZE FOR STEAKS

Makes 2 servings.

6 slices bacon, diced

1 tablespoon butter

4 tablespoons red onion, diced

2 oz. bourbon

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1 oz. soy sauce

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Pepper, to taste

On medium to medium-high heat, saute bacon in butter until partially cooked. Add onion and continue sautéing until onion is tender and bacon is crisp. Turn heat to low, remove pan from heat source while adding bourbon and stir to deglaze the pan. Return pan to heat and add remaining ingredients, stirring well and cooking until mixture thickens and reduces slightly. Keep warm and top off favorite cut of prepared steak.

I created this recipe after falling in love with a restaurant’s bacon bourbon glazed sirloin, and it was discontinued. I decided to try to come up with a similar glaze using typical ingredients for marinades. My favorite steak with this glaze is a pan- seared, oven-roasted beef filet.

Linda Garrison, Wichita

Third place

ROASTED NUTS

Makes about 4 cups.

1 lb. assorted, unsalted nuts

¼ cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 pkg. (1 oz.) Hidden Valley ranch dry seasoning mix

Place nuts in gallon-size storage bag; add syrup and coat well. Sprinkle brown sugar and seasoning mix over nuts, and coat well by squeezing bag. Spread on cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 35 minutes. Transfer immediately to large bowl. Nuts will be quite sticky. Cool, stirring to separate; break into smaller pieces.

I got this recipe from my sister, who had gotten it from a co-worker. It’s a very unique flavor, part sweet, part savory. Nobody can believe what the seasoning is.

Elaine Johnson, Wichita

Honorable mention

PECAN MAPLE CHICKEN BREAST

¼ cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup plain, fine dried bread crumbs or panko

½ cup pecans, finely chopped

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix maple syrup, mayonnaise and salt in shallow dish. Mix bread crumbs and pecans in separate shallow dish. Dip chicken into syrup mixture and then in bread crumbs. Place on greased baking sheet. Spray top of chicken with cooking spray. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, turning one time, until chicken is done and coating has browned.

Sheila Webb, Wichita

PORK CHOPS AND PINEAPPLE SLICES

GRILLED MAPLE PORK CHOPS:

½ cup soy sauce

½ cup red wine vinegar

½ cup maple syrup

1½ to 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced

1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil or olive oil

4 butter flied pork chops, about 1 inch thick

MAPLE GLAZED PINEAPPLE SLICES:

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil or olive oil

1 ripe pineapple, trimmed, peeled and cored

For pork chops, combine first 5 ingredients in bowl and marinate for 6 hours or overnight. Remove pork chops from marinade, grill for about 7 minutes per side.

For pineapple, combine marinade ingredients in bowl. Slice pineapple in rings and marinate for 20 minutes. Grill pineapple spaced about ½-inch apart for 5 to 9 minutes per side. Serve atop pork chops.

Kay Bartel, Wichita

MAPLE MASHED SWEET POTATOES

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

2 lbs. (about 2 large or 3 small to medium) sweet potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut crosswise into ¼ inch-thick slices

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

Pinch ground black pepper

4 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon orange zest, finely grated

Combine sweet potatoes, butter, cream, sugar, and salt in 3- to 4-quart saucepan. Cook, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 35 to 45 minutes, or until potatoes fall apart when poked with fork. Remove pan from heat. Mash sweet potatoes in saucepan with potato masher until desired consistency. Stir in pepper, maple syrup and orange zest. Transfer to warm serving bowl.

Cutting the potatoes into slices of even thickness is important, so they cook at the same rate. Vegetarians in the family and guests love this preparation; and it travels well.

Katherine Hoffman, Wichita

“GOOD MORNING” GRANOLA MUFFINS

1 cup (6 oz.) dried apricots, finely chopped

1¼ cups dried granola

2¼ cups self-rising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ cup orange juice

½ cup apple juice

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

¾ cup maple syrup

1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease 12 cup muffin pan or use muffin liners. Mix apricots, granola, flour and baking powder in medium bowl. Beat orange juice, apple juice, oil, maple syrup and egg in large bowl with electric mixer. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir until just combined. Spoon mixture into muffin pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins and cool on rack.

W. Joyce Dyson, Goddard

CANDACE’S BAKED BEANS

½ lb. bacon, cut up

½ lb. ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

½ green pepper

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup brown sugar

¼ cup ketchup

¼ cup KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 can (16 oz.) pork and beans, drained

1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (16 oz ) butter beans, drained

Put first 4 ingredients in skillet and cook on medium heat until browned. Mix all ingredients together and put in baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Candace is a friend and neighbor, and she is a fabulous cook. I changed the recipe to my liking just a little bit.

Pamela Jones, Wichita

APPLE, DRIED CHERRY AND WALNUT SALAD WITH MAPLE DRESSING

MAPLE DRESSING:

¼ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup pure maple syrup

3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar or other white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

Salt

Pepper

SALAD:

1 bag (15 oz.) or 10 cups mixed baby greens, loosely packed

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into matchstick-size strips

½ cup dried tart cherries

½ cup walnuts, chopped and toasted

For dressing, whisk mayonnaise, maple syrup, vinegar, and sugar in bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil until mixture thickens slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate. Whisk again before using.

For salad, toss greens, apples, cherries, walnuts in large bowl to combine. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Divide salad equally among plates or serve from large salad bowl.

Dressing can be prepared three days ahead. I like to reserve some of the apples, cherries and walnuts to top the salad. Hint: Dip apple slices in pineapple juice to keep them from darkening. Dole has small six-packs of 100 percent pineapple juice that I keep on hand for this purpose. I got this recipe from my daughter, Jodie Seitzer, and also learned the pineapple juice trick from her to keep apples from darkening.

Susan Fritzemeyer, Wichita

FRENCH TOAST SOUFFLE

½ cup butter

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese

½ cup maple syrup

Bread, cut into ½-inch cubes

12 large eggs

3 cups half and half cream

1½ teaspoons vanilla

Cinnamon

Strawberries

Bananas

Walnuts, chopped

Maple syrup

Powdered sugar

Butter 9x13-inch glass baking dish. Fill dish ½ full with bread cubes. In small bowl mix butter, cream cheese and syrup together. Can soften in microwave; may be lumpy. Spoon mixture over bread cubes; distribute evenly to edges. In large bowl, beat eggs, cream and vanilla. Pour egg mixture over bread. Bread cubes will be floating; make sure all cubes are moistened. Dust with cinnamon, cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 55to 60 minutes or until center is raised and firm and whole top is lightly browned. Cut in serving pieces. Top with diced strawberries, sliced bananas, walnuts and syrup. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

We use the sliced sour French bread and then just cut the slices into squares.

Mary Diethelm, Wichita

SAUSAGE AND APPLES

¾ lb. pork sausage, cooked

Butter or virgin olive oil

4 tart apples, sliced with skins

¾ cup English walnuts, chopped

¾ cup pure maple syrup

Cook sausage at 400 degrees for 15 minutes on cookie sheet covered with foil.

Grease 2½-quart casserole dish lightly with butter or virgin olive oil. Alternate layers of sausage, apples and walnuts in casserole. Pour syrup over top of all.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until apples tender. Baste 2 times during baking.

I have used Granny Smith apples and tart red apples. I have used locally farm- produced bulk sausage and links. I have used pure northern New York maple syrup from my family’s sugar maple farm.

Dolores Wedel, North Newton

HAZELNUT MAPLE MUFFINS

Makes 1 dozen.

MUFFINS:

2 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

2/3 cup maple syrup

½ cup milk

1/3 cup butter, melted

½ cup hazelnuts, chopped

MAPLE BUTTER:

¼ cup maple syrup

½ cup butter, cubed

For muffins, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Combine egg, maple syrup, milk and butter. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in hazelnuts. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 375 degrees for 18 to 22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm with maple butter.

For maple butter, in small saucepan, bring maple syrup to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in butter until melted. Refrigerate until mixture is spreadable.

Janie Colle, Hutchinson

EASY MAPLE BIEROCKS

1 lb. mild pork sausage

½ cup onion, finely chopped

2 cups cabbage, finely chopped

1 tablespoon mustard

½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/3 cup dark maple syrup

24 frozen yeast dinner rolls

Preheat oven to 200 degrees and shut off.

Place frozen dinner rolls on 2 greased baking sheets in oven. Brown sausage, onion, and cabbage in skillet over medium heat. Drain. Add mustard, cheese, and syrup. Continue cooking for about 3 minutes or until mixture is will mixed. Remove rolls from oven.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll or press out 1 roll on lightly floured board. Add about 2 tablespoons of mixture to flattened dough. Pull up sides, press together and twist. Place on baking sheet twisted side down. Repeat until all dinner rolls are filled.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

My husband and I invented this recipe out of our love for bierocks. This is one of our favorites because it is so tasty and easy. You get the taste of sweet bread without all the trouble. We always get a touchdown when we make them for football games. They freeze great if you ever have any left over or want to make some ahead. They are perfect for appetizers, snacks, dinner or whatever. They are not messy, which makes them great for a party or on the run. My husband and I love to cook, and we are always inventing new recipes.

Tammy Mercer, Sedgwick

MAPLE GLAZE STUFFED DATES

Makes about 30.

1 pkg. (10 oz.) Chorizo pork

8 oz. dates, pitted

10 to 12 slices bacon

Maple syrup

Brown pork and stuff each date with 1 teaspoon of pork. Wrap with bacon. Secure with toothpick. Brush with syrup. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Elva Kelton, Newton

YUM YUM CHICKEN

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 garlic clove, crushed

¼ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

¼ cup apple juice

¼ cup light maple syrup

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

½ cup water

1/3 cup soy sauce

Rice, cooked

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned. Remove chicken. Add remaining ingredients. Heat over medium heat, until well mixed and dissolved. Add chicken and bring to hard boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over hot rice.

The crushed red pepper flakes can be reduced or omitted. On the other hand, if you’re all about the kick, the red crushed pepper can be increased to ¾ to 1 teaspoon. Tastes great served over brown rice.

Laura Jacot, Derby

WORLD’S BEST CHICKEN

½ cup Dijon mustard

¼ cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets

Salt

Pepper

Rosemary

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In small bowl, mix mustard, syrup and vinegar. Place chicken breast cutlets into 9x13-inch baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Pour mustard mixture over chicken. No need to marinate. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. Season with rosemary.

Prepare for people to ask you to make it again!

Nancy Basquez, El Dorado

MAPLE PECAN PORK CHOPS

1/3 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons soy sauce

¼ cup pecans, chopped

¼ teaspoon ground sage

4 boneless pork loin chops

3 tablespoons cooking oil

½ cup onions, sliced

Mashed potatoes

Mix syrup, soy sauce, pecans and sage. Set aside.

Saute pork chops in hot oil over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes on each side. Cover with lid to reduce splattering. Add onions and cook an additional 4 to 6 minutes. Pour sauce mixture over chops and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place cooked pork chops on top of hot mashed potatoes and drizzle with sauce.

You can make the mashed potatoes from scratch, but there are also some pretty good frozen mashed potato options out there that make this a quick, easy and delicious dinner.

Tammy Hader, Wichita

ASIAN-STYLE KABOBS

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons salad oil

2 tablespoons chili sauce

¼ cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ginger root, diced

Dash sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ teaspoon red pepper

2 green onions, sliced

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

½ to 1 lb. chicken breast, cut into large cubes

½ to 1 lb. boneless pork loin chops, cut into large cubes

½ to 1 lb. beef top sirloin, cut into large cubes

Mix all ingredients and use to marinate meat. Split marinade 3 ways and put each meat in separate quart-size, resealable bag. Marinate 6 hours or overnight. Put meat on kabob sticks and grill. I keep meats separate so that each can be cooked to its desired temperature.

Rudy Diethelm, Wichita

CHUCK WAGON BAKED BEANS

1½ lbs. lean ground beef

1 large onion, roughly chopped or cut into rings

1 large bell pepper, roughly chopped or cut into rings

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 tablespoons mustard

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 can (28 oz.) tomatoes, diced

1 can (13 oz.) mushroom pieces, drained, or 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 cup maple syrup

1 can (15.5 oz.) red kidney beans, drained

1 can (15.5 oz.) brown pinto beans, drained

1 can (15.5 oz.) navy beans, drained

1 can (15.5 oz.) lima beans, drained

1 can (15.5 oz.) butter beans, drained

1 can (15.5 oz.) pork and beans, drained

1 can (15.5 oz.) white northern beans, drained

Brown beef in 6-quart or larger pot. Drain after cooking. Add onion, pepper and garlic. Stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add chili powder, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, barbecue sauce and maple syrup. Add brown sugar or more maple syrup if not sweet enough. Cook for 20 minutes and add beans. Mix everything together well. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Any one or two of these ingredients can be left out and will still be a delicious dish. This can be prepared several days ahead and can be frozen in smaller batches. It goes well with grilled hamburgers or hot dogs or can be a meal itself with jalapeno-cheese cornbread. It’s a family favorite and goes great at gatherings.

Judy Hightree, Harper

GARDEN’S HARVEST STUFFED PEPPERS

1 cup uncooked rice

4 to 8 green bell peppers

2 medium yellow squash, diced

1 large zucchini squash, diced

1 medium to large eggplant, peeled and diced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

¼ cup olive oil

1½ lbs. lean ground beef

1 can (11 oz.) Mexican corn, drained

1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained

3 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 cans (15 oz. each) tomato sauce

1 cup maple syrup

Cook rice according to directions and set aside. Fill large pot with water, cover and bring to boil. Cut tops from all peppers and remove seeds. Place peppers in boiling water and blanch for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove peppers to tray covered with paper towels to drain. Dice and save pepper from tops. Dump water from pot and return to stove.

In pot on medium-high heat, brown beef, breaking up with large spoon until meat is in crumbles. Remove from pot and place in dish. Set aside. In pot on medium-high heat, add olive oil. Once oil has heated add diced vegetables and stir with large spoon. Cook vegetables until almost tender and translucent, stirring with spoon. Add beef, cooked rice, corn and tomatoes; stir. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder, stirring into mixture. Turn heat off and cover pot.

In large casserole dish, place drained peppers right side up. Mix tomato sauce and maple syrup in small bowl. Fill each pepper with meat filling; pressing down as you fill. Pour tomato sauce mixture over top of each pepper, making sure each is coated well with sauce. Pour rest of sauce into bottom of dish around peppers. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

When serving, spoon extra sauce over top of each pepper.

If you bake four peppers you will have filling left over. You can place this in the bottom of the casserole along with the extra sauce, or you can freeze for later use.

My husband Phil plants a large garden every summer and this year was no exception. I found I had a lot of squash and eggplant to deal with. Because we love stuffed peppers, I thought why not add them into the filling and see what happens. We loved it and adding the maple syrup to the sauce gave it the extra sweetness the recipe needed. If you find a cup of maple syrup is too much for your taste, you can cut it down to a ½ cup. Also you can use yellow, red or orange bell peppers along with the green. They will add extra color to your dish.

Carol Dumesnil, Mulvane

BISIT’S SUGAR BUNS

DOUGH:

1 pkg (.25 oz) yeast

¼ cup warm water

1 egg, beaten

1½ cups milk

¼ cup Crisco shortening

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1½ teaspoons salt

4 ½ to 5 cups flour

TOPPING:

1 stick butter or margarine, melted

½ cup maple syrup

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup pecans or walnuts, optional

½ stick butter or margarine, melted

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

For dough, dissolve yeast in warm water; add beaten egg, set aside. Scald milk and add shortening, sugar and salt; cool. In mixing bowl, combine milk and yeast mixtures. Gradually add flour 1 cup at a time to mixture, and mix with dough hook if possible. Turn dough out on floured surface and knead for about 3 minutes. Place dough in bowl with sides greased with oil. Cover with warm cloth and place on cabinet or near warmest part of kitchen. Let rise until doubled in size; at least one hour. Roll dough into small balls.

For topping, mix melted stick of butter, maple syrup, brown sugar and nuts. Put in 9x13-inch pan or tube pan. Place balls that have been dipped into melted ½ stick butter, then into cinnamon sugar, in pan over topping. Let rise under cloth until doubled in size for at least 1 hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops of rolls are brown. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, and then flip onto serving plate.

I love to bake, mix and make up new recipes. This pastry was created by using several of my different recipes and mixing into one. My nickname was Bisit growing up, thanks to my dad Francis. So when I officially created my snack mixes, BISIT MIXES that led me to make my own acronym: Best Incredible Snacks In Town. From then on, every recipe I make, I use Bisit as my logo.

Ruth Heimerman, Park City