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Recipes with Julie Van Rosendaal: Thinking outside the pancake box with birch syrup | CBC News

  • ️Wed Mar 15 2023

Calgary·RECIPES

Birch syrup is far more complex than maple. It’s not as sweet, and has a more mineral, tart, almost citrusy flavour.

Birch syrup can be poured over your pancakes or even over a sharp cheese

Pancakes with syrup sit on a plate.

Birch syrup can be used as a topping, or it can help add flavour to sauces or marinades. (Julie Van Rosendaal)

As spring peeks around the corner, it's nearly time to start tapping birch trees. 

Maples come first in the season, typically sometime in March (although it can start early in milder temperatures) until the sap runs out.

Though birch syrup is produced in a similar way, it tends to be even more precious. With about 0.5 - 2 per cent sugar content (depending on the type of tree, weather factors and season), it takes about 100 to 150 litres of sap to produce one litre of syrup.

Maple syrup, in comparison, requires about 40 litres of sap to produce one litre of syrup.

Birch syrup is far more complex than maple. It's not as sweet, and has a more mineral, tart, almost citrusy flavour. Up north, it's commonly used on pancakes and waffles, and in sauces and marinades, but in places where it's not as readily available (and pricier), birch syrup is often savoured as a finishing drizzle.

You can try it over sharp cheese, like extra old gouda or parmesan or in glazes and vinaigrettes.

If you're looking for a more affordable alternative for your pancakes, try bringing a 2:1 ratio of brown sugar to water to a simmer, then let it cool. It will have a similar viscosity to maple syrup, and you can add a teaspoon of vanilla or maple extract when you take it off the heat.

It will store it in the fridge for months.

Birch Syrup Pecan Squares

Birch squares are sliced on a counter.

Another delicious way to enjoy birch syrup is in baked goods like these birch squares. (Julie Van Rosendaal)

I got this recipe years ago from Whitehorse chef and cookbook author Michele Genest, who made them for me when I visited Yellowknife years ago.

It's absolutely delicious, and surprising how the flavour of even two tablespoons of birch syrup comes through.

Ingredients

Base:

  • ½ cup butter, at room temperature
  • ¼ cup sugar (white or brown)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt

Topping:

  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tbsp birch or maple syrup
  • 1 cup whole or chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar together. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and blend until crumbly. Press into the bottom of a parchment-lined 8x8-inch pan.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until very pale golden around the edges.

LISTEN | Julie Van Rosendaal explains why she enjoys birch syrup:

In the same bowl, stir together the brown sugar, butter, birch or maple syrup and pecans. Pour over the base and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbly on top.

Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Makes: 16 squares.