Let the sun shine
and a recipe for maple cream cheese to spread a little happiness
“Spring will come and so will happiness. Hold on. Life will get warmer."
—Anita Krizzan
Never mind that pesky changing of the clocks, antithetical to nature’s rhythms. No matter how much we love or hate to spring forward, the brightening days bring joy to our winter hearts. The vernal equinox is here.
It’s not that we’ve been hibernating, exactly, although the unusually dark and dreary season was enough to dampen even the most cheerful among us. We Ontarians just lived through one of the darkest winters in almost a century, with a stretch of nearly three weeks in January with no sunshine at all.
But, listen. The cardinals are urging us to wake with their liquid song, and the shoots are pushing out impatiently even as more snow threatens. The air has a thrill of expectation, an undercurrent of warmth, a promise of shorts and ice cream and flip flops and patios.
Sweet dreams
Further afield, there are lovely seasonal traditions to observe or even try for the first time. One that I’ve been dreaming about for ages is to go to a cabane à sucre - a sugar shack.
Long before the arrival of sugar that accompanied the fur trade, the Indigenous Peoples of the First Nations were harvesting savoury sap from maple trees. The full moon of March is known as the Sugar Moon, honouring this centuries-old rite of spring. Maple sugar fabrication was introduced by settlers of Swiss and Norman French origin during the 17th century. Today, the cabane à sucre is most commonly found in Quebec, where family-run cottage industry maple sugar production has become a global billion dollar business.
A Québécois sugar shack is comprised of several essential elements. First, of course, is the maple forest, dotted with small cabins where the sap collected from the trees is boiled into maple syrup.
The more elaborate ones have activities galore: snowshoeing, sleigh rides, and hiking trails to explore. But whether fully featured or homespun, the main attraction of the sugar shack is the maple feast.
Family-style harvest tables are laden with hearty and simple food. The typical menu doesn’t vary much from place to place: pea soup, lard-roasted potatoes, homemade fruit ketchup, baked beans, "oreilles de crisse", sausages, tourtiere, omelets, pancakes, sugar pie and of course, tire d’erable - cooked maple syrup rolled onto a stick on the snow. The common denominator is maple syrup, the rich amber liquid poured liberally over all.
Sweet dreams, indeed.
“When spring came, there were no problems except where to be happiest.”
—Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast
Whether I make it to a cabane a sucre this spring remains to be seen. But even if I don’t, I’ll revel in this beautiful time of rebirth and renewal. No matter where I am, I’ll be paying attention to the sweet-pea greening of the trees, the carpets of crocuses spreading willy-nilly, the goldfinches deepening their hue, the changing quality of the light. Where spring is, my heart sings with happiness.
Maple cream cheese
Serves 4-6 as a lovely breakfast spread
There are recipes galore that feature maple syrup. From baked apples, muffins and cakes, to squash, Brussels sprouts, pork chops and potatoes, maple syrup is the chameleon ingredient that plays well with both sweet and savoury dishes.
When you want a taste of maple in a hurry, this super easy cream cheese spread will become your go to. It’s great smeared on toasted bagels and topped with smoked salmon, as a muffin topper or in place of butter on zucchini bread, and perhaps, if no one is looking, by the surreptitious spoonful.
Ingredients
8 ounces regular cream cheese, room temperature
⅔ cup maple syrup
Maldon or other flaky salt, optional
In a small saucepan, bring maple syrup to simmer over medium low heat. Simmer for 15 minutes until slightly thickened. Cool for 5 minutes.
Put the cream cheese in a bowl. Pour ⅓ of the maple syrup into the cream cheese and stir, using a fork or small whisk until thoroughly combined. Add the remaining maple syrup and stir again until all the maple syrup is incorporated. If not using right away, store in the refrigerator.
Bring to room temperature before serving. Sprinkle with a few flakes of Maldon salt, if desired.