Maple syrup is one of the delights of living in the Upper Midwest—a sign of spring when the sap is ready to flow and great for pouring over pancakes any time of year. But in Sweet Nature: A Cook’s Guide to Using Honey and Maple Syrup, Beth Dooley and Mette Nielsen find new uses for the sticky stuff. Two tablespoons of syrup are included in their recipe for wild rice and cranberry pilaf, a hearty vegetarian dish needing no more than 20 minutes to prepare. Maple syrup is essential to their recipe for pickled green cabbage with sweet peppers and apple, a stick-to-the-ribs sidebar to any meat entree. The many uses for honey are less surprising but no less tasty. The authors add that both honey and maple syrup are excellent substitutes for sugar.
