Maple Butter
I promised Eric that I would mention the maple butter he made for the dinner Saturday night. Four sticks of room-temperature butter, 1/4 cup maple syrup, some cinnamon and I think vanilla all whisked together then refrigerated. Eric put it all in a shallow dish and made decorative swirls on top before he put it back the in the fridge. It was terrific on the sweet-potato biscuits he made, but I think it'd be even better on buttermilk pancakes. I'm sure he and his wife, Lisa, will come up with lots of uses for it, especially since they have the better part of a pound left.
Hey, just wanted to add that there was also a pinch of salt in there; I know 'cause I put it in (following the recipe, of course)
Will the fame of being on Kim's top-notch blog make me even more arrogant than I already am? Impossible. Anyway, maple butter goes well on almost any autumn dish, as well as many breakfast foods. A Thanksgiving dinner with new twists on old standards is a great idea for any adventurous chefs reading Kim's superb blog. I also recommend today's (11/19/03) NYT Dining In section's coverstory about balancing tradition and creativity for a Thanksgiving Feast.