Ingredients
- 300 g flour
- 10 g baking powder
- 200 g soft butter
- 150 ml Quebec maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 yolk
- 1 lemon zest
- pinch salt
- 400 ml milk
- 3 yolks
- 30 g cornstarch
- 100 ml Quebec maple syrup (cream)
- 1 vanilla bean
- 20 ml dark rum
- 1 egg (wash)
Method
- Cream butter with 150 ml syrup; beat in eggs, yolk, zest; fold flour, powder, salt; chill.
- Cook milk, vanilla, yolks, cornstarch, 100 ml syrup to thick cream; add rum; cool.
- Line buttered 22 cm tin with two thirds dough; fill with cream.
- Cap with remaining dough, seal, brush egg, score lattice.
- Bake 45 min at 170 °C until deep golden.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 150 g sugar in dough + 80 g sugar in cream
Conversion used: Dough sugar → 150 ml maple syrup; cream sugar → 100 ml syrup, reduce milk by 30 ml; oven 170 °C instead of 185 °C.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Maple lends buttery caramel richness that complements vanilla pastry cream, provides zinc, and celebrates Quebec's signature sweetener.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →