Back in the Maritimes there's a dessert called Backwoods Pie. It's a cross between the traditional Canadian dessert, sugar pie, and a standard maple syrup pie. I found a recipe for Backwoods Pie in the cookbook Out of Nova Scotia Kitchens. I tested it and then tweaked the ingredients. This pie is very sweet, obviously, but if you have some spare quality maple syrup, it's a good way to use it and a good way to make people happy too.
Dough
• 1 cup flour • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter • 1 tablespoon sugar • 1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Rub the flour with the butter until you get a sandy texture. Then add just enough cold water to make a smooth dough, about 2 - 3 tablespoons. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough and line a 9" pie pan.
Filling
• 1 cup brown sugar • 1 cup maple syrup • 1/2 cup heavy cream • 1/4 cup flour • 2 eggs • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted • 1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together except the flour. Sift in the flour a little at a time. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Cook for at least 45 minutes. You want it dry but it must still tremble in the middle. Leave to cool on a rack.
Serve it with a loose whipped cream.