March Maple Madness Inn-to-Inn Tour – March 19, 2016

If you enjoy maple flavored treats, both sweet and savory, come stay at the Buttonwood Inn on March 18 and 19, 2016 for the March MapleMadness inn-to-inn tour.  Participants travel to the inns and maple sugar houses sampling maple-inspired treats and  receive the recipes.  If you go to each inn and obtain the puzzle piece, you will have a chance to win first prize of a $200 gift certificate for a weekend stay at any of these inns, including other gifts in the basket.

It’s a fun event because you not only sample maple treats, but tour each inn while meeting the innkeepers.  Some folks are interested in the Buttonwood Inn history which we elucidate them on or they can read it on our wall in the Mount Surprise Room.  It’s a full day of stops at ten inns and five sugarhouses where you can view their sugaring operations.

You can reserve online or call us at 1-800-258-2625 for this fun-filled and delicious event!

Chef Paula will be making Maple Ice Cream with Grade B maple syrup that is darker amber and more concentrated in flavor purchased from  Fuller’s Sugarhouse.  We serve their Grade A Amber maple syrup at breakfast.  Try this very “mapley” and creamy ice cream recipe:

Maple Ice Cream

2/3 cup Grade B maple syrup

1-3/4 cups heavy cream

¾ cup whole milk

4 large egg yolks

¼ teaspoon Kosher salt

Prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl of half ice and half water.  Heat the maple syrup in small saucepan over medium heat, simmering until reduced by a quarter, about 5 minutes, and set aside.

Heat the cream and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until just simmering, about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, whisk the yolks in a medium bowl until light in color and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.

Once the milk mixture is simmering, remove from the heat and pour about ½ cup into the yolks, whisking constantly.  Return the yolk mixture to the saucepan with the milk mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the custard is thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 3 minutes (when you run your finger on the back of the spoon, the line should not run back onto itself).

Remove the custard from the heat and stir in the maple syrup reduction and salt.  Pour the custard into a strainer into a large bowl and place it over the ice bath until chilled, about 40 minutes.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Then freeze the ice cream custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.