#23: Maple Flakes

Maple Flakes are listed as #23 on Food and Wine's 100 Tastes to Try this year. They were hard for me to get a hold of. When I first started searching in the beginning of the year, they were only available in Canada! I did have a trip planned to Vancouver and was going to try and figure out how to order them and have them delivered to my hotel. But thankfully I didn't have to go to that extreme to get a hold of these. iGourmet.com started selling them around the middle of the year.

So what are maple flakes anyways? They are similar to sugar. Except they are made from maple syrup. You can get regular or cranberry flavored. I got both. Food & Wine suggested that you spread them on cereal or over ice cream. I went to the company website decacer.com and found some recipes there. When I saw the recipe for Red Tuna Tartare I was intrigued. Tuna and sugar? But the cranberry maple flakes just added some crunch. I suppose you could add some more if you really want to taste the sweetness.


Red Tuna Tartare
1/2 lb. sushi-grade ahi tuna
drizzle of olive oil
few drops of lemon juice
2 Tbsp. finely chopped chives
Fleur del Sel (to taste)
Freshly ground pepper (to taste)
1 Tbsp Cranberry Organic Maple Flakes

All the ingredients can be prepared in advance, but do not mix until right before serving so the flakes stay nice and crunchy.

Cut the tuna into small cubes, then season with a drizzle of olive oil, a few drops of lemon juice, finely chopped chives, fleur de sel, a little freshly ground pepper, and maple flakes. Blend quickly and serve. The texture of the fresh tuna cubes with a sprinkling of maple flakes is sensational.