MAPLE PECAN MANIA Maple Pecan Pie

Step aside, pumpkin spice

Is pumpkin spice passé? This fall, follow a certain coffee shop’s lead and make the most of maple pecan… in lattes and so much more.

“It is a really classic, old-fashioned fall combination,” said Pat Brett, co-owner of Kimberton Whole Foods, who features the flavors in her gluten-free pecan pie bars.

“These are kind of three-bite pecan treats that have all the goodness of pecan pie,” she described.

Another fall favorite: her son’s warm beet salad with apples and candied pecans.

“It’s eye-catching and delicious,” Brett said. “When you see it, you just want to eat it.”

Try the recipes at home. Better yet, mix in Pennsylvania maple syrup.

“Trees have to be at least 15 inches in diameter before you can tap them (two taps), so it takes at least 40 years for them to get that big,” explained Sue Myers of Ridge Valley Farm in Sumneytown. “On a good year, you need 40 gallons of sap to get 1 gallon of finished product.”

She and her husband tap trees on 30 acres in Montgomery County, selling pure syrup at farmers’ markets like Phoenixville, West Chester and Ambler. They also offer maple granola, maple cream, maple sugar, maple mustard and – you guessed it – maple pecans.

“Everybody seems to like them,” Myers said. “We sell a lot of them.”

The pecans are a big hit at home too.

“I always have to keep my husband out of the baking area when I’m making them,” she joked, “because he’ll stand there and eat them all!”

Well, who can blame him?

Warm Beet Salad with Apples and Candied Pecans

Embrace late autumn’s bounty with this sweet, savory and stunning salad, featuring beets, Pink Lady apples and from-scratch candied pecans.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound medium beets (trimmed) 4 cups spinach 2 cups arugula 1 Pink Lady apple (sliced thin) ¾ cup feta cheese

Candied pecans:

2 cups pecans 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup ½ teaspoon Himalayan salt 1 teaspoon water 1 teaspoon Singing Dog vanilla extract 1 teaspoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon Organic Valley butter

INSTRUCTIONS

To prep beets, wash thoroughly and trim the top and bottom. Add to saucepan and cover the beets with water, bring to a boil and cook until tender (you can pierce with a fork when they’re ready). When beets are done, drain

and run them under cold water. Rub the beets to easily remove the skin, then slice into ½-inch wedges. To prepare the candied pecans, spread the pecans evenly on a sheet pan and cook at 350 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and let cool. In a medium saucepan, bring vanilla, maple syrup, butter and toasted pecans to a simmer about 1 minute. Place pecans back onto sheet pan and sprinkle with Himalayan salt; let cool.

In a large bowl, add washed spinach and arugula. Top salad with thinly sliced apples, cut beets, crumbled feta cheese and candied pecans. Drizzle with olive oil and toss gently. RECIPE COURTESY OF KIMBERTON WHOLE FOODS

Gluten-Free Pecan Pie Bars INGREDIENTS

Crust: 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill One-to-One gluten-free flour mix 1 cup organic raw sugar 1½ sticks organic unsalted butter, sliced into small pieces 1½ teaspoons Himalayan pink salt

Filling:

1 cup organic raw sugar ¼ cup water ¼ cup real maple syrup 3 eggs 4 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon Singing Dog glutenfree vanilla ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt 1½ cups organic pecans, chopped coarsely

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients for the crust. Slice butter and blend with dry ingredients using a food processor. Lightly butter or oil a 9-by-13-inch baking sheet (or line with parchment paper). Dump the crust mixture onto the pan, spread it out, then press down with your fingers until it is packed as evenly as you can make it. Bake crust for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned in spots and firm all over. While the crust bakes, in a medium saucepan, heat the sugar, water and maple syrup until it’s nearly boiling and the sugar has melted. Remove from the heat and add the butter, salt and vanilla. Beat the eggs in a small bowl, then add to the sugar mixture. When the crust is slightly cooled, pour the filling mixture evenly over it. Sprinkle the pecans evenly on top. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes. Cool, then cut into 24 small bars. RECIPE COURTESY OF KIMBERTON WHOLE FOODS

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup butter ½ cup sugar ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup maple syrup 3 eggs 1 cup broken pecan halves

1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell

INSTRUCTIONS

Melt butter; add sugar, salt, maple syrup and eggs. Beat the mixture until well blended. Add the pecans, breaking large halves in two. Pour filling into the unbaked shell. Bake at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the filling comes out clean. Cool pie before serving.

PHOTO BY EMILY RYAN “I like plain pecans. With the maple syrup, they just taste that much better,” says Sue Myers of Ridge Valley Farm.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KIMBERTON WHOLE FOODS Candied pecans top a warm beet salad.