By The sap is running well. Six consecutive days of good freeze-thaw and the buckets are filling reliably. I have been boiling every other day. The syrup yield so far is nine gallons — a good start for week one of the season. The sugarhouse is warm and smells exactly right and I am in it every morning and every other afternoon and it is, this year more than most, the specific place I want to be while the world outside decides what it is going to do next.
Vermont declared a state of emergency Friday. The governor said large gatherings should be avoided. Schools may close. I read this carefully and I thought about what it means for the farmhouse and for us and for the family. It means: David should not drive up this weekend. It means the grandchildren should not visit. It means Helen and I are going to be in the farmhouse, more or less alone except for occasional supply runs to Burlington, for an undetermined period that the governor called "weeks" and that I suspect may be longer.
I called David and Sarah and told them. David said he was ahead of me — Karen had already been stocking their pantry for two weeks. Sarah said she and Tom had the same plan. I said good. I said they should not worry about us, that we have a full pantry and a full woodpile and a garden that will feed us from May onward if we manage it right. Sarah said she would call every night. I said that was not necessary. She said she would call every night. I said all right. I knew she would anyway. Some conversations are not negotiations.
The maple season will continue. The sap does not know about the pandemic. The trees do not know about the pandemic. This is a useful fact. Some things are indifferent to human troubles, and the indifference is clarifying rather than cold. The sap runs. I boil. The syrup is good. I am going to hold onto this.
Helen and I have been eating simply these past few mornings — eggs, toast, whatever is easy before I head out to check the buckets. But this past Sunday, with no guests coming and no reason to be anywhere, I took some of the first syrup of the season — a dark, strong amber from the early boil — and made this baked French toast. It is the kind of recipe that earns its place when time is not the problem. The strawberries came from the freezer, put up last June, which felt right: last summer’s garden meeting this year’s maple, both of them indifferent to the news.
Baked French Toast with Strawberries
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 loaf (about 1 lb) brioche or thick-cut white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 6 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup, plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 cups fresh or thawed frozen strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the baking dish. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter. Arrange the bread cubes in an even layer in the dish.
- Make the custard. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt until fully combined.
- Soak the bread. Pour the custard evenly over the bread cubes, pressing gently so every piece absorbs the liquid. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight for best results.
- Prepare the strawberries. Toss the sliced strawberries with the granulated sugar in a small bowl and let them macerate for 10–15 minutes while the oven preheats.
- Preheat and top. Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove plastic wrap from the baking dish. Scatter the macerated strawberries over the top of the soaked bread and dot with the small pieces of butter.
- Bake. Bake uncovered for 40–45 minutes, until the custard is set in the center and the top is golden brown. A knife inserted in the middle should come out clean.
- Serve. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Dust lightly with powdered sugar if desired and serve warm with additional maple syrup at the table.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 380 | Protein: 11g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 48g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg