Maple taffee (sugar on snow)

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Molten syrup being poured on clean snow to create the soft maple candy.

Called maple taffee in English-speaking Canada, tire d'érable in French-speaking Canada, and sugar on snow in the United States, it is a confection made by boiling maple sap past the point where it would form maple syrup but not so long that it becomes maple butter or maple sugar. It is part of traditional culture in Quebec and northern New England. In Québec the candy is poured onto wooden sticks that, after cooling, serve as a handle similar to a lollipop. In northern New England it is poured onto the snow and then lifted either with a small wooden fork or a metal dinner fork. The event in New England is called a sugar on snow party, and the soft candy is traditionally served with yeast-risen doughnuts, sour dill pickles, and coffee. The pickles and coffee serve to counter the intense sweetness of the candy.

The confectionery is made by boiling maple sap just past the standard density of maple syrup, usually five to eight minutes. It is best to use a candy thermometer, and heat the syrup to 240 degrees Fahrenheit, keep at that temperature for about 20 minutes (you want something about twice as thick as the maple syrup you pour on pancakes), then let it cool for about the same time before pouring it on the snow. Syrup is cooked until it forms a thick viscous liquid. This liquid is then poured in a molten state upon clean snow whereupon the cold causes it to rapidly harden. If when poured on the snow the syrup runs rather than hardens it has not yet been boiled long enough to make the soft maple candy. Once sufficiently hardened the candy can be picked up and eaten. If the soft maple candy is only exposed to the snow for a few seconds it will remain chewy while a longer exposure will turn it into a harder candy. As it is populary eaten soft it is usually served fresh. It is most often prepared and eaten alongside the making of maple syrup at a sugar house or cabane à sucre. Note that cooking the maple syrup for too long can occasionally remove loose teeth!