Join Us At The VPR Cafe

Clockwise from top left: Ric Cengeri,
Melissa Pasanen, Sally Pollak,
Candy Page

The VPR Café is a new weekly feature that’s all about Vermont food and the people who grow it, prepare it, and love it.  Every Sunday morning, we’ll take you behind the scenes with stories from the farms, kitchens, and eateries that comfort our souls and connect our communities. 

Hosted by VPR’s Ric Cengeri, The VPR Café is produced in collaboration with the Burlington Free Press.  Ric talks with Free Press feature writers Candace Page, Sally Pollak and Melissa Passenen.

Ric is an omnivore in the truest sense of the word.   “I never met a food I didn’t like.”  Food is always an adventure for Ric. “When I look at a menu and I see something new or unfamiliar – that’s what I order,” he says.  Ric's rotating guests also have extensive experience reporting on food, farms, cooking and the Vermont food economy:

• Candy Page, who retires in April, has spent more than 30 years at the Burlington Free Press covering all angles of Vermont politics, government, and lifestyle.
• Melissa Pasanen is a freelance writer for the Free Press and food editor for Vermont Life Magazine.
• Sally Pollak is a feature writer for the Burlington Free Press.  She writes on a variety of issues including the Savorvore series.

In our first visit to The VPR Cafe on Sunday, March 3, Candy Page gives us a taste of the new international grading system for maple syrup.  We'll also hear what Candy learned about cooking with maple syrup when she spent the day with Ginger Isham in her kitchen at the Isham Family Farm in Williston.

You'll hear all new programming Sunday mornings beginning at 10:40 with 99% Invisible.  This weekly feature, produced by Roman Mars, is about the 99% invisible activity that shapes our world.  The VPR Cafe is at 10:45, followed by insights from VPR commentators.

We hope you'll join us at The VPR Café and let us know what you think!

UVM Libraries Maple Community Cookbook.

VPR Cooks: Maple Cream Pie

Mondays are so much better when pie is involved.

John Van Hoesen is not only our VP for News and Programming, he's also an accomplished baker. He went on a maple cream pie-making spree recently and the staff at VPR's Colchester headquarters were the lucky beneficiaries. They were fantastic! His secret? John uses maple sugar, not maple syrup. You'll find the recipe below - enjoy!

John Van Hoesen's Maple Cream Pie

Prepare and bake a single pie crust; try half butter and half shortening for a flaky crust; success comes when the dough is handled as little as possible.

For the filling:

In a double boiler, add:

1 cup granulated or powdered maple sugar
1/2 cup+ flour
A dash or two salt

Add 2 cups whole milk and cook until thick, stirring all the while. Use a whisk to smooth any lumps.

Beat three egg yolks; divide in half and add some of the hot mixture to the eggs to temper them, stirring the whole time. Combine all and cook again until thick.

When the filling is thick, remove and add two tablespoons butter. At this point, taste. If you prefer a more intense flavor, add about a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Chill.

When ready to serve, whip 1/2 pint heavy cream (more if you like it heaped very high), adding sugar and vanilla to taste. Less is better. Whip until stiff and spoon on topping. Use a pastry bag and large star tip for decorative look, but whip the topping slightly more so that it will hold its shape.

What's your favorite maple recipe? Share it with us in the comments below!