Written by Rosemary Mantini | 31 August 2010

Some of you, like me, are savouring these last days of August, taking in as much of summer as possible before it disappears for yet another year. Cast your mind back, for a moment, to those promising days of spring. Each day that passed brought warmer temperatures and longer days, budding plants and the prospect of spending extended time outdoors. If your mind can't quite hold on to spring to your satisfaction, try this: cook up some of these great maple syrup-based recipes.

Maple syrup, a product of Maple trees that grow primarily throughout the eastern parts of Canada and the United States, is produced only in springtime. Although some of the collection methods have been modernized over the centuries, it's a process that still relies on the sun's warmth to coax the sap out of the trees drop by drop. If you've ever visited a sugar bush and tasted sap fresh from the tree, you'll know that it's nothing at all like the sticky sweet nectar that we enjoy thanks to days of long simmering. The earthy sweet taste of maple syrup is unlike any other sweetener. It adds a certain extra appeal to everything it touches. Try it in tea or coffee, desserts or savoury dishes. Your dining companions will wonder what your secret is. I won't tell!

Tidings had the pleasure of receiving (and tasting!) many entries to the Maple Syrup Recipe Contest (Tidings, April 2010). Here's a random pick of the bunch. Give them a try, and see for yourself how versatile and delicious maple syrup can be. Find the full instructions for Superior Chocolate Sauce and all the other recipes by following the link below the video.

Superior Chocolate Sauce

Maple Pie

Poussins au sirop d'érable

Decadent Applesauce