Tire d'érable
Québec maple taffy: boiled maple syrup poured on snow and rolled onto sticks
Tire d'érable (maple taffy, or 'tire sur la neige') is the highlight of a spring visit to a Québec or eastern Ontario sugar shack: hot boiled maple syrup is poured in ribbons over clean packed snow, where it firms into a chewy, amber toffee that you roll up onto a wooden stick. It's sold at winter carnivals in Québec City and made at home on a tray of snow or crushed ice. Chef's tip: use a sugar thermometer and stop at 112–114 °C; a few degrees under and it stays runny, a few over and it turns hard as candy.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Pack 8 ¼ cups clean packed snow or finely crushed ice firmly into a large baking tray and keep it in the freezer or outside while the syrup cooks.
Step 2: Pour 1 cup pure maple syrup into a deep pan (it foams up a lot) and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Boil without stirring, watching closely, for 10–15 minutes, until it reaches 112–225°F on a sugar thermometer. Without a thermometer: a drop on the snow should hold its shape and be chewy, not spread out.
15 minStep 3: Take off the heat and let the bubbles settle for 30 seconds. Common mistake: stirring as it boils; it can turn grainy and crystallise.
Step 4: Pour the syrup in lines, about 3 cm wide and 12 cm long, onto the snow. Wait 10–15 seconds until it firms.
Step 5: Press a wooden stick at one end of each line and roll it up, lifting the taffy off the snow as you go. Eat straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 140 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 35 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tire d'érable take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of pure maple syrup?
- Honey or golden syrup, same amount.
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