Reduced/Boiled Apple Cider—Maple Syrup’s Autumn Cousin

by Cara Davenport, Education Manager and Kathryn Lawrence, Asst. ED

I love apple cider season – cold with a lunch, warm on a chilly afternoon. I can almost never finish an entire half-gallon before it starts to turn, though, and inevitably the sides of the cider container in my fridge start to bulge ominously. My solution, rather than buying less apple cider or smaller containers of it, is to turn the leftover or barely-fermented cider into a baking treasure that takes up much less room in the fridge and keeps indefinitely: boiled cider. To make it, boil apple cider long and slow to evaporate off more of the water and concentrate it into a thick, syrupy liquid that can be a flavorful addition to frosting, glazes, baked goods, sauces, marinades, drinks, and basically anything you would use maple syrup in or on.

However much cider you use will reduce down to about a sixth of whatever you start with; a half gallon will reduce to about 1 cup, a quart to half cup, etc. Set a heavy-bottomed pan or dutch oven of cider on the stove and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat. Stir occasionally until the color darkens to a deep amber, and the consistency is similar to maple syrup (about 1-3 hours depending on how much cider you started with).

Upside Down Skillet Pear (or Apple) Tart From Maple Syrup Cookbook

Ingredients:

¼ Store Bought Pie Crust or Flaky Butter Crust (recipe below)

2 tbsp butter

¼ cup pure maple syrup

3 tablespoons boiled cider

6 large pears or apples, halved, cored and peeled

Directions: by Ken Haedrich

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Melt the butter in a medium cast-iron skillet. Stir in the maple syrup and boiled cider and bring to a low boil, stirring. Boil for 1 ½ minutes, then remove from heat.

3. Arrange the fruit in the skillet, rounded side down and points toward the center. Put two halves in the center, pointed in opposite directions. Any remaining halves can be sliced and interspersed on top of the others. Try to keep the top level of the fruit even.

4. Trim the pastry into a 12-inch circle. Lay it on top of the fruit and tuck the edge down between the fruit and the side of the skillet. Make two or three wide slashes in the crust so steam can escape. Bake for 45 minutes.

5. Remove the tart from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

6. Place a plate directly on top of the crust. Quickly invert the tart, tilting it slightly away from you to avoid hot syrup. Let it cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting. It will probably be a little juicy – – that’s fine. Any juice can be spooned over the fruit to glaze.

If you want to make your own crust, this is MFFC approved!

Flaky Butter Crust

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups unbleached or all purpose flour

½ tsp salt

¾ cups cold butter, cut into

¼ inch pieces

¼ cup vegetable shortening

1 tbsp sugar

1 egg, cold

2 tbsp ice water

1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Melt the butter in a medium cast-iron skillet. Stir in the maple syrup and boiled cider and bring to a low boil, stirring. Boil for 1 ½ minutes, then remove from heat.

3. Arrange the fruit in the skillet, rounded side down and points toward the center. Put two halves in the center, pointed in opposite directions. Any remaining halves can be sliced and interspersed on top of the others. Try to keep the top level of the fruit even.

4. Trim the pastry into a 12-inch circle. Lay it on top of the fruit and tuck the edge down between the fruit and the side of the skillet. Make two or three wide slashes in the crust so steam can escape. Bake for 45 minutes.

5. Remove the tart from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

6. Place a plate directly on top of the crust. Quickly invert the tart, tilting it slightly away from you to avoid hot syrup. Let it cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting. It will probably be a little juicy – – that’s fine. Any juice can be spooned over the fruit to glaze.

Below are some pictures of things that you can find at Merck Forest this time of year. Can you identify what is in each of the pictures? Look for the answer key at the bottom of the page.

Answer Key: