canadian sweets: where have you been all my life?

Even though my husband cringed every time I dug out my camera in a restaurant or store, there were some things in Mont Tremblant that I could not let pass me by without a digital reminder.  I think anyone who loves chocolate and sugar will agree.  Forget the miles of snowy ski trails, the beautiful frozen lake, the twinkling lights along the pedestrian village streets; what really impressed me was the chocolate and other sugary treats. And there were a lot of them, so this is a lengthy post.  I’ll break it down into three sections: Chocolate, Animal Parts and Organic Fun.  Something for everyone.

The Chocolate

A store that has vats of melted chocolate (dark and milk) ready for dipping is every child’s (and this adult’s) fantasy.  I was quick with the camera before the shopkeeper told me no photographs were allowed.  Oh, well.  We indulged in two types of fudge and a chocolate-covered brownie.  Chocolate-covered marshmallows with M&Ms and chocolate-covered Twizzlers with sprinkles?  We had to draw the line somewhere.

The Animal Parts

Elsewhere in town, we happened upon the famous Beaver Tails walk-up window.  The little foodies were nervous about ordering an animal’s (or is a beaver a glorified rodent?) extremity, but after they saw the menu and smelled the fried aroma, all fear vanished.  This fried dough can be slathered with any number of toppings: apples and caramel, oreo, Nutella, cinnamon sugar, or chocolate with M&Ms.  We tried the oreo and the cinnamon sugar. Luckily, I had my trusty point-and-shoot tucked in my pocket to capture this gourmet experience.

The Organic Fun

For all you nature lovers out there, this one’s for you!  I have to say this was probably our favorite and most unexpected treat: maple syrup taffy.  We walked by this Sugar Shack (whose website photos were last updated in 1982 it seems) by accident after skiing one day and wondered what they were doing.  It didn’t take long to figure out that we needed to get some of what everyone around us was eating off tongue depressors.  We decided to try this at home, but after arriving back in CT, there isn’t enough snow.  We’re hoping for one more big snowfall so we can try this ourselves.  As you can see from the photos, the kids didn’t waste any time rolling their taffy.  Only G had the patience to wait for the camera.

buttermilk pancakes

On the mornings when I pull out my griddle (a well-worn gift from my mom-in-law), the kids know not to pour the cereal – something good is on the way. This was our first-day-after-the-last-day-of-school breakfast: buttermilk pancakes with bacon.

This recipe is new, and it’s a keeper. The texture of these cakes was light and airy with a lovely sweetness. There were only four of us for breakfast, so this recipe fed us fine, but I would double it if all the foodies were home. I particularly like my pancakes with blueberries or sliced bananas; my little foodies prefer chocolate chips. With syrup. Real syrup.

When you live in New England amidst huge maple trees oozing delectable sap and can visit sugar shacks in late winter that have boiling vats of liquid gold, “syrup” means maple syrup, not Mrs. Butterworth’s or Log Cabin or Karo Dark. And did you know that pure maple syrup is good for you? Even Cracker Barrel serves their pancakes with real maple syrup. It’s kind of like the difference between Coke and generic cola. There really is no comparison.

Life is short – enjoy the real thing.

Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberries

from epicurious

• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking
• 2 cups fresh blueberries [or sliced bananas or chocolate chips]
• Pure maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Place baking sheet in oven.
2. Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl.
3. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, and 2 tablespoons butter in medium bowl; stir into dry ingredients. Fold in berries. [We add our berries on the griddle - not everyone likes them.]
4. Heat large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat; brush with butter.
5. Drop batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto griddle.
6. Cook pancakes until brown, brushing griddle with more butter as needed, about 3 minutes per side. [This is way too long for our gas cooktop - they only need about 1 minute per side.]
7. Transfer to sheet in oven to keep warm. Serve pancakes with maple syrup.
8. Makes about 12 pancakes.