Pine Cone Syrup
Pine Cone Syrup
Makes 1 cup of Mugolio & Makes 4 servings of Popovers
Mugolio is a traditional pine cone syrup from northern Italy and since North American is filled with pine trees, you can make it at home yourself. Look for Scots pine cones when walking around your neighbourhood. The Italian recipes typically call for new green cones, so search for dime-sized cones to bring home. This syrup is one of the easiest things you can make. All you need is sugar and fermentation time. There are endless possibilities with such a wild-tasting syrup: for example, drizzle it over blue cheese or add it to a whiskey sour, or like here, you can add it to some fresh popovers. This recipe is from The Coastal Forager’s Cookbook.
INGREDIENTS
Evergreen Cone Molasses (Pine Cone Syrup)
1 cup (250 mL) whole soft small green Scots pine cones (or green Douglas-fir cones)
1 cup (250 mL) packed brown sugar
Popovers
1 cup (250 mL) milk, divided
1 scant cup (240 mL) all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
½ tsp (2 mL) salt
¼ cup (60 mL) melted butter, for the pan
Whipped Cream
1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream
3 Tbsp (45 mL) sugar
RECIPE
Evergreen Cone Molasses (Pine Cone Syrup)
- Sterilize a 4-cup (1 L) mason jar.
- Put the pine cones and sugar in the jar and stir to combine. Cover with a lid and place in a cool dark place to ferment for about 1 month. Open the jar once a week and stir the ingredients and taste it until you are happy with the flavor. After about two weeks, you’ll see a liquid like molasses form in the jar. Once it’s done fermenting, strain the molasses off and reserve it in a sealed jar.
Popovers
- In a large bowl, mix 2 Tbsp (30 mL) of the milk into the flour to make a sloppy paste. This helps stop it from clumping. Beat the rest of the milk, the eggs, and the salt into the flour mixture until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the batter rest for 1 hour on the counter.
- Place a baking sheet on the bottom rack in your oven to reduce spillage as the popovers rise. Place a popover pan or a muffin tin in the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F. Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stovetop. When the oven reaches temperature, remove the hot pan.
- Pour about 1 tsp (5 mL) of the melted butter into each cup. Divide the batter evenly between the cups and return the pan to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake until the popovers are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Use a knife to gently ease the popovers out of the tin and let cool slightly.
Whipped Cream
- Whip the cream and sugar until stiff peaks form, being careful not to overwhip. Cut a slit in the side of each popover, spoon in the whipped cream, and drizzle with pine cone molasses. Serve immediately.
Recipe by Robin Kort from The Coastal Forager’s Cookbook: Feasting Wild in the Pacific Northwest, copyright © 2023 by Robin Kort.